


In a Tidal Wave of Mystery, You'll Still Be Standing Next to Me

by Zaylan00



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Character Study, Dialogue, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gay, Humor, M/M, Multi, Mystery, One-Sided Relationship, Original Character(s), Relationship(s), Revelations, Sexual Confusion, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Work In Progress, sterek, straight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-01-05 09:43:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaylan00/pseuds/Zaylan00
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Beacon Hills gang attempt to pick their lives back up following the demise of the Darach and the breakup of the Alpha pack. With the arrival of several new students that become tangled into their world, new nightmares and new enemies make their way to the town leaving more casualties and heartache in their wake.  Are these new students friends or foes and what part do they play in this ongoing saga?  Loyalties will be tested, new romances will form, others will break but one common thread will bind everyone together: only the truly deserving will survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginings, New Friends?

CHAPTER ONE  


The world seemed to be moving in slow motion around Stiles as he walked through the halls of his high school. This was his first day back since resolving the double whammy of a marauding Alpha pack and the Darach, a supernatural dark druid responsible for the deaths of so many in Beacon Hills during the preceding months. His life had been shrouded by so much misery and hardships ever since discovering his best friend had turned into a werewolf that this walk was one to be savored. The school seemed to be basking in the golden light of the most miraculous sunset casting an ethereal amber glow on every inch of the building which in Stiles almost dreamlike trance did not strike him as odd. Neither did the fact that the empty halls should have been bustling with hundreds of teenagers going every which way to make it to their next classes. No all Stiles could see was the back of his best friend Scott McCall standing in the middle of the hallway staring off in the direction of the stairwell where his ex-girlfriend Allison Argent was slowly descending and engaged in lighthearted conversation with Isaac Lahey, another werewolf and member of Scott’s pack and more recently a possible romantic interest for Ms. Argent. Stiles seemed to float towards Scott and on the way passed Lydia Martin and Aiden talking flirtatiously besides her open locker. He had long since resigned himself to being in Lydia’s friend’s zone, being in love with her since he first saw the red-headed beauty freshman year, as reformed Alpha Aiden seemed to have something that sparked her desire. Approaching Scott, Stiles noticed Ethan, Aiden’s twin brother and fellow reformed Alpha, emerge from a classroom holding hands with his boyfriend Danny Mahealani, a popular and openly gay computer whiz that happened to also be on the lacrosse team with Stiles, Scott and Isaac. Stiles did not furrow his brow at the knowledge that these were the only people he was seeing because these were the most important people in his life, save for his father and their respective guardians as well. They had formed an unlikely alliance; becoming a tight-knit family unit that needed every single one of its individual parts to function properly and have gone through many life and death situations that their orbits would always be part of the same solar system.  


Stiles gently put his arm around Scott’s shoulder and they both made eye contact exchanging looks of warmth and contentment that only the closest of friends could understand. They were brothers and closer than blood. Scott seemed to be experiencing the same reverie as Stiles and too was also enjoying this world where only this small group of people existed. Swapping quick glances with the others, they both realized that they all were awash in this unnatural but safe realm and for that briefest of moments they all soaked in the calm and peace. The moment of Zen reached its zenith and as soon as it came it disappeared with the ringing of the warning bell giving students two minutes to make it to their next class or else they would be late and incur the wrath of their respective instructors. The next class for Scott and Stiles was chemistry, which following the death of Mr. Harris by the Darach, was led by a rotating cast of substitute teachers. In a weird twist of fate one of the stand-in teachers was none other than Jennifer Blake who had also taken over as their English instructor at semester’s beginning and who would later be revealed to be the dark druid herself! Yes, it was a strange world that Scott and Stiles navigated through but coming this far, they would not have it any other way. They quickly made it to chemistry and took notice that their seating arrangements had been shuffled as little paper name cards were placed on every group table indicating where they were all to sit. “You have got to be kidding me,” Stiles blurted out when he took stock of this new wrinkle in his life. “No I most assure you that I am very serious,” answered a short and very old man of Asian descent that seemed to be Mr. Miyagi’s long lost brother. _I am not wax on or wax offing anything_ Stiles thought to himself. “Please find your seats gentlemen,” the instructor continued and with a sigh both of them began to find where they were placed.  


Each lab table had three seats and was stereotypical of all high school lab stations, with a sink in the middle and various glass vials and beakers full of mostly benign liquids scattered neatly on either side of the basin. Though they were separated by this new seating assignment, both Scott and Stiles breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw that their tables were directly one in front of the other. Scott sat at a table that included Lydia and another female student that the group never really conversed with while Stiles found himself one table back which included Danny on the left and another student that he did not recognize but who wore a frown and scowl that would intimidate most other people on the right. Stiles took solace in the fact that he was not most other people and plopped down in the vacant seat between the two boys and proceeded to give Danny the who is this guy look. Danny simply shrugged and turned his attention to the front of the class where the new teacher was going into his introduction. Stiles attempted to size up this new student with his peripheral vision and took note that he seemed to be of Latino descent with the mustache connected to goatee that connected to a thin and well maintained line of hair that framed both sides of his face typical with a lot of younger Hispanic men. Probably Puerto Rican or Dominican Stiles thought as he furrowed his brow trying to ascertain the new guy’s exact ethnicity and trying to pinpoint why he never seen him before. The Latino male, whom had the name Alejandro written on his name card, seemed to sense his neighbor’s concentration and slightly turned his face towards Stiles who was so lost in thought that he failed to notice the shift in posture. When he did the striking gray eyes of Alejandro was already burrowing into his own cinnamon brown ones and Stiles was startled back into reality.  


“Is there something I can help you with or do I just look like a circus freak to you,” Alejandro asked in a whisper that bordered on annoyance. “Nuh-no, no not at all, no dude,” Stiles stammered back in an equally quiet tone. “It’s just I never seen you before and honestly, if anything, you look like a Puerto Rican Viktor Krum,” Stiles continued genuinely happy to make a visual Harry Potter reference in such a snap. Alejandro rolled his eyes and nearly sigh-groaned before countering with “I’m half Colombian and I’ve been in this class since the beginning of the school year actually, but thanks for confirming the sneaking suspicion I had that you only notice people in your social circle and treat everything else as just background noise.” Stiles jaw slacked open as he tended to do a lot when he was at a loss of words or caught off guard and to which Lydia once commented he looked like a dying goldfish after attempting its last breath. “Hey I am not as snobby as you are making me sound and ask anyone I bet they would agree that they never seen you before either,” Stiles answered defensively. To this Alejandro’s eyes flicked towards Danny who by this point was listening in on the conversation and Danny sheepishly added “he’s sat in the back lab table on the left since the year began.” “Ok, that’s not fair, Danny knows everyone. He’s also too nice to admit if he’s never seen you either and he’s like the Beacon Hills High School Wikipedia in human form,” Stiles protested before an amused Lydia chimed in as she turned her body backwards, “No, I am the high school Wikipedia and Danny’s right. The kid has sat in the back of the room for months now.” Stiles shot Lydia a very evil look that went unnoticed as she had already whipped around to face forward. Scott had also been listening in due to his superhuman hearing, a perk/curse that came with **the bite** and half turned with a grin. As soon as he made eye contact with Alejandro a sudden feeling of familiarity struck Scott, similar to running into someone years later but not being able to exactly place where, when, or how you knew them. As they both locked eyes Scott could not help but think Alejandro looked like someone he should know even though he had to admit he was with Stiles in the never noticing this guy before boat. _I’ll be damned he does look like a Latin Viktor Krum_ Scott thought before silently cursing himself at being geeky enough to even know that reference. Alejandro just did not get these two guys all of a sudden looking at him like he just emerged from a cocoon. One of his biggest pet peeves is being overlooked and this episode highlighted just how overlooked he was by two people that unbeknownst to them have played an integral part of his life in its current state. This further aggravated Alejandro and he had to try to really calm himself before his emotions would betray what he wanted to hide. Scott could hear the rise in Alejandro’s heartbeat and sensed his tension. “What papi? What’s so fascinating,” Alejandro hissed finally tiring of being stared at. He was miserable at having to sit with these people and even more miserable at being the center of unwanted attention. Scott’s smirk quickly dissolved into one of inquisitive concern as his eyebrows began to rise and his face transformed into the patented lost puppy that always showed up when he did not understand something. In Scott’s case this happened often as there were plenty of things that caused him to not understand mainly school and the way girl’s minds worked.  


Scott went to ask Alejandro a question when a throat harshly cleared itself from the front of the room. Apparently the new Chemistry teacher had finished his introduction and had been observing this small group converse with each other which also meant he knew they were not paying attention. “I see I may have not randomized the seating well enough to make learning conducive for a select few of the student body. Shall I re-shuffle the deck again?” “No Mr. Miyaaaaahh—uhhh—Mr. Sir,” Stiles caught himself before finishing that obvious semi-racist remark, “We were just discussing how excited we were to have a new teacher that has such an air of competency such as you do sir.” “As false as that statement was Mr. Stilinski, I’ll refrain from moving the seats again as the glacial pace by which I assume you all will undertake to complete that task will take us to the end of the class period without any knowledge being passed down from me to you. Now if the class would be so kind as to turn to chapter 13, we will begin discussing the wonderful world of balancing chemical equations.” With a collective groan from the entirety of the room chemistry books flung open and the long lesson began without much more excitement besides the occasional sideways glances the two adjacent lab tables gave the other periodically throughout the remainder of the period.  


“I think there might be someone even sourer than Derek Hale and believe me there usually is no one sourer than Mr. Sour Wolf himself,” Stiles muttered as he plopped down next to Scott at their lunch table joining Lydia, Allison, Danny and Isaac. “I mean, what if it’s like some sort of airborne virus spreading throughout Beacon Hills? Can you imagine a town full of sour wolves?” Stiles shuddered at the thought. To his credit, these random outbursts were becoming less frequent. Scott noted to himself that it was refreshing to see the old Stiles, even if it was only in snippets. He felt guilty that his supernatural world had this type of impact on his once so bouncy best friend. Scott noticed that all of them had grown more somber; many would chalk it up to the loss of innocence that happens once a child begins the transition into adulthood but Scott new that it stemmed from the darkness that now enveloped their souls. Dr. Deaton, the town veterinarian (Scott’s boss) and druid experienced with healing werewolves, warned them that the process of submerging their bodies in ice cold tubs of water to temporarily kill them in order to locate their parents abducted by the Darach would cause their hearts to be forever enshrouded in darkness. He also warned of other supernatural beings being attracted to this disturbance, and Scott was uneasy at this sobering thought.  


“Where are the twins,” Isaac asked nonchalantly as he took a bite out of his burger, trying to end the sudden silence that took over the table. “They said they had something to take care of real fast,” Danny replied with no concern in his voice, so whatever the issue was it was not one of dire consequence. “Anywayyyyy, can we get back to the discussion about our super frowny lab partner,” Stiles asked incredulously wondering why no one else seemed bothered by how standoffish this Alejandro character was and why a lot of it was directed towards Scott and himself. “I dunno dude, it’s like we should know him somehow but I have no idea why,” Scott answered. “Maybe it is because he looks like he should be throwing up gang signs and writing graffiti on a bridge somewhere,” Isaac chimed in which elicited a hard smack to the arm by Allison who was seated next to him. “Ow, what was that for!?” Allison just rolled her eyes while Scott frowned. Lydia took a break from looking at herself in a compact mirror snapping it shut before replying, “I am pretty sure you would have offended a great number of kids at our school and better yet, a growing majority of people of any Hispanic descent anywhere with that obvious stereotyping. Furthermore Isaac, your new Alpha is half Mexican and I am equally pretty sure by the looks he is giving you, you have offended him as well.” Scott just sighed as Isaac winced at the self-realization. He had a tough upbringing with a verbally and physically abusive father that used to lock him up in the basement freezer as punishment for anything he deemed not up to Lahey standards. The Kanima, aka Jackson Whittimore, killed Isaac’s father last year and Scott always thought to himself that perhaps that outcome was not so unfortunate. Isaac moved in with Scott and his mother after Derek banished him from the loft they shared with Cora Hale, Derek’s younger sister, to protect him from the Alpha pack. Since then Scott and Isaac had become closer, sometimes supplanting Stiles position as Scott’s go-to guy when he had an overwhelming problem. However the budding romance between Isaac and Allison was creating an uncomfortable triangle that Scott was trying to sift through.  


“It’s cool Isaac, just be a little more tactful next time, ok?” Scott asked and gave his friend a warm look. “Yeah sorry Scotty, I really dunno what came over me. I’m not that guy.” Isaac dipped his eyes and stared into his lunch tray. A few more moments of silence followed before Stiles broke through the moment with an exasperated “GUYS why do we keep veering away from our discussion of Alejandro!?” “What about Alejandro,” Ethan asked as he approached the table sitting next to Danny and placing a quick peck onto his boyfriend’s cheek. Stiles cringed slightly before he launched into an impassioned monologue about how standoffish the not-so-new-new guy was in chemistry class. “He’s not a bad guy once you get to know him,” Ethan remarked after Stiles finished his flourish of comments and arm waving. “Do you know him,” a finally intrigued Allison interjected. “You can say that,” answered Ethan, causing Danny to raise his eyebrow. “Not like that babe,” Ethan added with a slight smile before giving Danny a playful smack on the arm. Just then Aiden entered the cafeteria followed closely by Alejandro himself.  


“Ok you two need to fill us in as to how you know this guy because not only have Scott and I never noticed him but we have never seen you two interact with him EVER to the point you would actually walk into, say like a high school cafeteria, with said unknown person.” Stiles was a little flushed at this point but continued to watch as Aiden and Alejandro approached their table. “Hey guys, I hear that some of you have finally met Alejandro here. I hope that you give him as warm a welcome as you have given my brother and I,” Aiden stated this final part flatly and the entire table mentally flashbacked to the many run-ins their groups had with each other while the twins were part of the Alpha pack. Alejandro raised a questioning eyebrow at this to which Ethan just shook his head to convey that they did not want to go there. “Well, this was thoroughly awkward, so I think I will excuse myself and sit at the social pariah table where I can at least eat in comfortable silence.” And with that, Alejandro turned and walked to a table near the corner where a few other outcasts sat making sure everyone had at least three empty chairs separating themselves from their closest neighbor. “Is that dude always a corner dweller?” Stiles asked. “So wonder-twins what is with that guy anyway?” “Well Stiles that guy just lost his mother recently so you could understand why he might be a little off,” Aiden replied. Stiles winced. It has been years since he too lost his mother to cancer, but the pain was still there every day. Little things could bring up a memory of her and the dulled pain became sharp all over again. He made sure to not show this outwardly because he did not want to worry his father, Sheriff Stilinski, any more than he already had the past few years. With the Darach business and finally filling his dad in on the wonderful world of werewolves that existed underneath his nose the entire time, he had enough to stress out over without having a needy son to add to it.  


“Well I feel like a schmuck now,” Stiles sighed. He looked over to Alejandro’s table with a new sort of understanding. Stiles quickly thought that Alejandro looked like he should be hanging with the popular crowd. The nerdy reference about looking like a Latino Viktor Krum was really not that far off base. Alejandro had the dark and handsome look that one would equate with a typical NYC style Latino having the trimmed and intricate facial hair that Stiles was always envious of because he could never grow any. He seemed to be slightly over six feet tall and was in decent shape. He was not Scott or Danny or the Twins, but they were muscular freaks of nature. What really struck Stiles were those same gray eyes that burrowed into him in chemistry class. Now that he was finally able to see Alejandro full on he could see that this was the type of guy that would hang with the popular kids in school, yet he managed to blend into corners to the point Stiles never noticed him before. “Hey Stiles, you ok?” Scott asked snapping his fingers trying to get Stiles to return to reality. “Yeah Scott, I just didn’t take my Adderall today so I am having focusing issues.” “Stiles sweetie, I think you would have focusing issues even if you downed an entire bottle of Adderall,” Lydia chirped. "Miss Lydia, let’s get me a bottle now and find out.” Before Lydia could respond further Scott inquired, “who is that girl sitting next to him,” as he noticed an attractive Asian girl whom, like Alejandro was a person Scott never seen before today, approaching then sitting next to, Alejandro. “God you two really need to pay attention to stuff other than video games and comic books! That is Kira and she’s been here since the start of the year too,” Lydia retorted rolling her eyes. “OMG Lydia, there is nothing beyond video games and comic books, unless you are referring to pizza, then yes that is important too,” Stiles countered back, “well at least we can see he is capable of smiling.”  


Their lunch table periodically watched Alejandro and Kira conversing and even Scott had to remark at how at ease they both looked with the other. They talked and laughed and seemed to be lost in their own world. Scott did not want to show how instantly attracted to Kira he was out of respect for Allison even if she was already sort of moving on with Isaac. That was another issue he was going to have to deal with being as Isaac lived with him now and that would most certainly mean Allison would be present in his house more often. He tried using his super hearing to eavesdrop into their conversation but was dismayed that they were speaking in a foreign language. Looking puzzled Scott let out an inaudible sigh that of course every werewolf at the table could hear. “Japanese,” Aiden stated to no one in particular. “Huh?” Scott asked. “They are speaking Japanese. Alejandro is actually fluent in five languages, so yeah if you were trying to listen in and got confused it is because they are speaking Japanese.” “Ok Aiden, seriously dude, you and tweedle dum need to spill why you know so much about these new kids. I mean do you have his social security number memorized too?” Stiles was getting clearly agitated at being out of the loop. He prided himself at being able to research and investigate anything that crossed his path that he did not already have a firm grasp on. Just knowing the two bufftastic boneheads had the one-up on him did not sit well. “Just drop it ok? We just know certain things about him and let’s just leave it at that.” Ethan, whom everyone knew was the more logical of the two, effectively ended the topic with the decisive tone he used. They sat the rest of lunch making small talk, chatting about upcoming plans for the weekend and lacrosse; any subject other than the one they just left. As the warning bell rang Scott could finally make out a sentence in English as Kira told Alejandro that she would be taking him to work after school. Scott quickly made note of this before ducking out the cafeteria and headed to his next class.  


When the final bell rang Scott found Stiles by his locker and quickly relayed a plan. “So you want to follow Kira and Alejandro to see where he works?” Stiles was used to Scott coming up with ideas that did not seem bright to most people, but this one just made no sense. “Why do we care where he works man? Besides we have that little thing known as lacrosse practice in about now minutes.” “I know Sty, but were you not the one most intrigued about them? Especially Alejandro….” Stiles cut Scott off at that point. “I am not intrigued by him Scott. Ok? And by the way you were seeing hearts and unicorns at the sight of that Kira girl I am thinking this little mission is more about your intrigue.” Scott smiled his crooked grin and shrugged his shoulder. “I know you Scott and Helen Keller would have noticed you staring at her the entire time at lunch.” “Damn, you think Allison noticed too,” Scott asked with his eyebrows scrunching. “Probably dude, but who cares. You both are single and she’s moving on, so should you.” “Sooooo does that mean you want to follow them then?” Scott made sure to use his best puppy dog eyes. “Scott put those eyes away before I start making out with you and no, we are going to practice.” Stiles grabbed his lacrosse bag and headed to the locker room. “See its statements like that Stiles that make people wonder about you!” “Let them think what they want Scotty boy because you know deep down inside its because they want all of this,” Stiles called out from over his shoulder making sure to display himself with the same arm flare that the models on the Price is Right would when showing off a prize. With a slight chuckle Scott did notice that more than a few females were looking at Stiles with a new found appreciation as he walked past heading to the locker room.  


It might have been Stiles just growing out of his baby-face stage but his once rounded face was becoming more angular with a chiseled jawline and model-like cheekbones or it could be from all the physical exertion they all endured recently. Stiles looked good and Scott was happy that girls were finally taking notice of him. He was always the sidekick and never got the girl but there was a new found maturity and confidence that radiated from him. Scott hoped this was not because of the darkness, but he knew better. All of them were being forced to grow up rapidly, mature faster than the other teenagers around them, and with the threat of new enemies and powers that they have never faced before they were being thrust into adulthood at warp speed. Scott was shaken from his thoughts when Stiles poked his head out from the locker room and yelled “Yo dude! You coming or what!?” Scott quickly grabbed his bag and sprinted to the locker room. Coach Finstock could be heard from inside as soon as Scott entered, “Wonderful McCall I am shaking with excitement that you could finally show up late and grace us with your presence! My dead grandmother moves faster than you do! Shut-up Greenberg this isn’t comedy hour!”


	2. Nightmares and Realities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the first chapter was introduction heavy but I needed to give some backstory just in case there were people somewhat unfamiliar with the Teen Wolf saga thus far. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have in writing it. It is a slow build and believe me the Hales will be back soon! Here is chapter two progressing the story a few weeks with a little background on OC Alejandro.

Several weeks passed and nothing out of the ordinary occurred in Beacon Hills which was a great relief to Scott and the rest of his pack. There were even moments where they let their guard down completely to enjoy social events like parties, going to the movies, bowling and even co-ed sleepovers (with sleeping arrangements segregated by gender of course). The teens rotated the locations of these sleepovers leaving bewildered parents in their wake the following mornings as they attempted to pick up the array of pizza boxes, soda cans, video game cords (thanks Scott and Stiles), DVD’s, female makeover products (thanks Lydia and Allison), and extra pillows and blankets strewn across the floors. The parents never minded though because they were just happy having their teenagers behaving like they should again at their age. Derek and Cora still had not returned from their vacation and Peter was also absent which left the town without a Hale sighting once more. All the texts Scott, Stiles and Isaac sent to Derek went unanswered but they knew he could handle himself. Stiles had to admit he was missing the brute but he would never say it out loud. The only thing that had caused them any anxiety were the set of vivid nightmares that they were all periodically getting. At first they seemed like minor illusions but they would constantly rerun in their heads with each subsequent dream connecting to their previous ones to form a haunting episodic storyline. Allison at first would dream about running from an unknown assailant throughout an abandoned Beacon Hills Hospital as the lights would flicker on and off. As her dreams continued she discovered she was running from an evil version of herself hell-bent on hunting down the real her. She assumed it was her subconscious telling her that she had been so weak before and a new, stronger Allison was trying to eradicate this incompetent version. This was completely plausible until evil Allison morphed into a deranged Aunt Kate equipped with glowing eyes and sharp fangs.

”Aunt Kate keeps haunting me in my dreams and I swear they are so real I wake up in a cold sweat. She was literally chasing me through a maze of ductwork and her eyes were red and she had these fangs and…and… Dad I think I’m going crazy.” Chris Argent sat next to his daughter as she was tucked into bed, having screamed so loud that it woke him up a few minutes earlier. She has been having these recurring nightmares for weeks and they were getting more and more violent. “Allison, your Aunt Kate loved you very much. She might not have been the warmest or kindest person, but when it came to her niece she would do anything to protect you. These nightmares are just that… nightmares.” Chris tried to sound convincing but he knew these dreams meant more. When his daughter shocked her body to the point of death in order to find where the Darach had hidden him she was inviting a terrible darkness to take over her soul. His main task was to make sure she was prepared for anything that could harm her and he had stepped up their training sessions the weeks after dealing with the Darach. They bonded from all this time spent together and Allison’s skills with the bow and firearms had increased ten-fold. Attempting to change the subject he asked his daughter how things were going with Isaac. “They’re fine dad. Isaac and I are just friends. I told you I don’t want to date anyone right now.” “Well you know Allison I am thrilled you have given up dating because I think you are still too young (to which Allison rolled her eyes) but if you did begin dating again I could not think of a better guy than Isaac. He’s a great kid.” Chris patted his daughter’s legs and kissed her on the forehead. He went to flick the lights off when Allison asked, “could you maybe leave the light on?” Chris gave his daughter a smile. “Sure thing kiddo. Get some sleep ok?” He turned and exited her room and shut the door. He sank down and sat leaning his back against his daughter’s bedroom door and prepared to fall asleep in the same spot he had been sleeping in for the past few weeks. 

”Scott! No don’t mix that together!” Lydia screamed at her lab partner but it was too late. When Scott mixed the blue liquid with the yellow liquid the beaker he held immediately began to bubble and smoke. He rapidly placed it on the lab table where the glass preceded to shatter and the liquid spilled burning holes through the wood. Lydia sighed loudly as the next lab table led by Stiles chortled with laughter. Scott glared at his best friend who was leaning against Danny trying to keep upright. Even Alejandro could not help but join into the laughter placing one hand on the lab table while the other gripped Stiles’ shoulder for support to prevent from falling over. “I’m glad I could bring such joy to your lives, jerks,” Scott finally stated after the shock of the chemical reaction fiasco faded. Mr. Yukimura (Not Mr. Miyagi as Stiles had to constantly remind himself) walked over and shook his head. “Mr. McCall I should be impressed how someone with your _level of talent_ for chemistry could somehow find the most benign chemicals and turn them into weapons of mass destruction, however this is the third table you have somehow mutilated in the past three weeks. From now on Miss Martin will be handling the mixing, deal?” Scott turned red and nodded in agreement as Stiles, Danny and Alejandro stifled back their laughter. “Carry on.” Lydia shot Scott a menacing glare. “Scott if this is some weird attempt to sabotage my GPA I won’t have it. Now let’s clean this up and when I say _let’s_ I mean you.” Scott sighed and began looking around for a dust pan and broom. Lydia turned to the next table and shot the three mischievous teens a look that said **no more laughing or else**. The guys feigned zipping their mouths shut and throwing away the keys but their eyes wrinkled with stifled laughter.

Alejandro was beginning to warm up to the gang at Beacon Hills but the thawing process was a slow and arduous one. Since they were forced to work together in Chemistry class and since he had a few more classes with at least one or more of them, he could not avoid the interactions if he tried. To their credit they really did go out of their ways to say hello to him in the halls or give him a smile or head nod of acknowledgement as they passed heading to their seats. _They aren’t that bad_ he thought to himself. Despite his growing notoriety his best friend would always be Kira and they were inseparable when they had any spare moments. She arrived at the high school the same time as he did when the school year began and they immediately bonded in the school’s office while waiting for the principal to give them the new student orientation. Alejandro was pissed about being dragged to this small town but his mother relocated here for “business” as she called it and since he had no father he was forced to uproot from his urban lifestyle and live amongst the townsfolk. As bitter as he wanted to be that first day in the office he could not help but feel the genuine warmth and kindness radiating from Kira as if she was magically beaming it outwardly towards him. She gave him a gracious smile and they were inseparable from that point on. They had a lot in common from their love of nature to similar stories of being uprooted to Beacon Hills against their wills and since he was fluent in five languages, they found that they could communicate in her native Japanese language. It was great to speak openly with someone and know that no one else understood. Kira was a very attractive 17 year-old girl of Japanese descent. She was slightly shorter than Alejandro with raven black hair that she curled and waved to give it volume. “I don’t want to be one of those manga girls with straight-hair,” she once told him. People thought they were dating but they definitely had no romantic interest in the other. They got along so well that they both got jobs at a local diner that doubled as a karaoke bar on Fridays just so they could earn extra money for a road trip they wanted to take during the summer. The only weird thing about their friendship was the fact that neither one met each other's parents. When hanging out the topic of parentage never really came up and if they were not at school they were at the diner. They never hung out at the other's house and for some reason this did not strike them as odd. They were so wrapped up with the other that they did not really socialize with the other high school kids and thus they were branded as invisible and not worth paying attention to. This suited Alejandro just fine but he knew Kira wanted to make more friends and embrace her life here. He promised himself that he would really try to make an effort to branch out and expand their circle of two when his life shattered. His mother’s body was found in a field, cut up and mutilated. Kira drove him to the morgue so he could identify her body and after seeing her lying lifeless his lungs began to constrict and white spots began forming in his visual field. He could not catch his breath and tried using the wall to hold himself upright but he was too far away and he began to fall. Kira caught him mid-fall and held him close where he sobbed for only mere moments before the image of his mom appeared in his memory teaching him that _the biggest flaw in every being is emotions; emotions make you vulnerable and cloud your judgment. Never let sympathy or empathy or pity weaken you. Find your goals and fight like hell until they are achieved and let nothing or no one get in the way. Promise me_. Alejandro remembered that lesson and hardened that day. A middle-aged man calling himself a friend of the family took him home from the morgue that day. He appeared out of nowhere during Alejandro's emotional breakdown and stood quietly as Kira was holding him and comforting him. This man waited as Alejandro sat in a metal chair collecting his thoughts and was somehow able to persuade Kira to allow him to walk the grieving teen home. It was during this walk that the stranger began telling a tale of Alejandro's mom being an effective freedom fighter moving to Beacon Hills for a cause that he did not explicitly spell out. He told Alejandro that his mother was fierce, strong and loyal and told him how his mother died and whom was responsible and the events that led up to her demise. Alejandro had a uneasy feeling that there was a huge part of this story that was not being told but the man spoke so hypnotically he could not muster the will to interrupt and ask questions instead he just nodded his head as he looked down at the sidewalk watching each step he took. The man dropped Alejandro off at a house he was vaguely familiar with from several times his mom had run into and out of during quick errands and where a kind looking young woman was waiting at the front door. Alejandro turned to thank his escort but he had already vanished. Perplexed Alejandro approached the woman noticing she was bandaged on her left side and she gently placed her right hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright Alejandro. Destiny brought you here and from here you will grow and prosper."

That was several weeks ago and Alejandro was now getting to know the people he had heard about from the stranger whom told him of his mother’s demise on that long walk to his new home. He too was unhappy when he was thrust into this new group by the new seating arrangement orchestrated by Mr. Yukimura in Chemistry class. It was a lukewarm start because of his bitterness but Alejandro knew these kids were not responsible for his mother’s death. They played a part in it, but they were not at fault. With Kira’s urging he began to let them in. He soon found out that Aiden and Ethan knew his mother somehow so he warmed to them first. They managed to dodge giving any real details about their dealings with his mom but he continued to dig and dig. They had to crack sometime right? They took on the big brother role and made sure he was alright any chance they got. They would visit him and Kira at the diner and naturally they sometimes brought along Danny and Lydia. Danny was an easy-going guy and since he was dating Ethan it was natural he would get along with him as well. Danny was very crafty with the computer and showed Alejandro some basic coding when they had spare time or when Ethan and Aiden were doing "guy stuff." Alejandro noticed they were always up and disappearing from time to time but he was used to this already. Lydia was super smart and wicked funny and he found that they both shared a passion for English literature and often met in the library to discuss book reports or other obscure classic works not assigned to them. They were probably traitors to their generation because they loved to read so much but they did not care. There were a lot of times Alejandro would ask what she saw in Aiden because she was so smart, sassy and so un-Aiden and would actively gag when she said _a lot of great sex_. He knew there was more to it than that but Lydia loved the reaction so she oft repeated it. Allison and Isaac were cool as well and he would usually hang out with them during their free period as they all three had the same one. Both of them would tell Alejandro about their nightmares and he would dig into his dream books to try and decipher what they meant. Isaac had no parents and Allison lost her mother so they really bonded. He really felt close to Isaac because he was orphaned as well and enjoyed the way Isaac’s blue eyes would light up when discussing how kind Scott’s mom had been in taking him in. Alejandro heard a lot about Melissa McCall and made a note to meet this saintly woman as soon as possible. He felt bad for Isaac and Allison because they still both seemed so tortured by loss and he felt slightly ashamed that he was not as broken up about losing a parent as they were. Alejandro knew his mom would hate him feeling sorry for himself so he buried his sadness. Scott and Stiles were the toughest for Alejandro to get along with initially. Stiles would never stay quiet long enough for a two way conversation and Scott kept trying to silently figure things out about Alejandro which amounted to a lot of awkward staring. But there was something endearing about Stiles and Alejandro knew that he was developing an irreversible crush. He never fully acknowledged what his preference was even to himself but the way his body responded to a Stiles smile was definitely different to the way it did when Kira smiled. Despite Scott’s awkward demeanor the stares became less frequent and his true good nature shone through. Alejandro made it a point to have Kira nearby every time he dealt with Scott because he could see the mutual attraction between the two and they seemed perfect for each other. There seemed to be some huge secret the entire group was hiding from him and he knew it was about his mom’s _business dealings_ even though they did not know who his mother was. Even the stranger that walked him home the day he went to the morgue was strategic in his words. He had meant to ask his new caretaker but she was recovering from a strange wound herself so Alejandro did not want to trouble her. For now he just had to be content in the life he had as he knew it.

Alejandro could not quite place why he was drawn to Stiles but he could remember it was the very first time he saw Stiles at the beginning of the year when the attraction was born. He had arrived to Chemistry class early and claimed a seat in the back corner so he could sulk unnoticed. As other students filed in he would look up in passing with uninterested enthusiasm. He was about to launch into a daydream of being anywhere but where he was currently when he could hear Mr. Harris remark in disdain the arrival of two boys; one being well built and tan with shaggy black hair and a slightly crooked jawline and who walked in slightly mortified and dejected while the other was pale and skinny with short brown hair and bright brown eyes. The paler one seemed to be more chatty of the two and began a little verbal sparring with the Chemistry teacher as if this was a normal back-and-forth banter. After a quick witty comeback the pale one smirked to no one in particular and Alejandro's breath quickly halted and resumed. He quickly scrunched his eyebrows and looked towards his desk unsure as to why he just had that reaction. He decided to shove this revelation deep down in hopes of forgetting it. 

”We are going to sing karaoke and you’re going to love it,” an excited Stiles proclaimed as he sat next to Danny followed slowly by Alejandro. “Do you guys have to go to the diner I work at though,” said a sighing Alejandro. “This is Beacon Hills Al, your diner is THE ONLY karaoke spot in town and besides I got a date!” Alejandro was not expecting this tidbit of information and his face broke for the merest of seconds but long enough for Danny to catch it. “Yeah this girl on the volleyball team who is also a print model, way to go Stiles,” a happy Scott stated leaning back to give his bestie a high-five. “And I am hoping to serenade Kira with something Spanglish, maybe some Marc Anthony,” Scott said smiling wiggling his eyebrows. “Gross,” Alejandro replied, “maybe I shouldn’t have introduced you two.” “No take backs,” Scott grinned and even Alejandro could not deny that crooked smile. Alejandro tried to grin but he was still thinking about Stiles having a date. Of course Stiles was straight I mean why wouldn’t he be. The only guy Alejandro seemed to find attractive would never fall into his lap. This wasn’t a Nicholas Sparks novel, it was high school Chemistry class, and those romantic stories of two worlds colliding did not exist in real life. “Stupid _A Walk to Remember_ or _The Notebook"_ Alejandro said out loud to himself about the movies Kira would always make him watch on her laptop as they were cleaning up the restaurant after it closed. “OMG I LOVE _The Notebook!”_ Lydia excitedly proclaimed having overheard Alejandro’s comments to himself. "We must have a movie night Alejandro! I didn't know you were such a fan! Here I thought you were a lifeless brute!" “Huh,” a confused Stiles said having been interrupted from his rant about his hot new date that apparently he had been in the middle of and that Alejandro and Lydia were not paying attention to. **“AHEM”** came the perturbed voice from the front of the room and the gang quickly turned and focused on Mr. Yukimura.  
After class Danny caught up to Alejandro. “Hey Alejandro can I talk to you real fast?” “Sure I have my next period free but don’t you have class,” asked Alejandro. “I’m making straight A’s I think I can afford to skip one class,” Danny grinned. “I usually meet up with Allison and Isaac during this time you want to join?” Danny shook his head, “actually Alejandro I was hoping to talk to you alone if that’s cool.” “Wait, are you going to ask me about a threesome with you and Ethan because he jokes about it all the time and its very flattering but….” Danny’s eyes opened wide with horror, “Nooooooooooo! I mean he has? Really?” Danny quickly contemplated this before continuing, “but no, I want to talk to you about Stiles.” Alejandro stopped and stared at Danny like a deer staring at headlights and he knew where this was going and cursed himself for not being more careful in hiding his facial expressions. “Actually I’d rather talk about that threesome Danny. I’d be down but you have to be the girl ok?” Danny just smiled and shook his head no and put his arm around Alejandro’s shoulders to gently force him somewhere they could talk more privately. “Ok we can flip-flop but that’s my best offer,” Alejandro tried in vain to throw Danny off and of course it did not work.

“I don’t even know if I’m gay Danny. I think it’s just some weird anomaly and it’ll work itself out. A lot of guys my age admire other guys but it doesn’t mean we have to act upon it, right? I mean we’re talking about hyperactive and very straight Stiles here!” Danny sat on the grass and listened as his friend tried every excuse in the book to rationalize his feelings. When Alejandro finally took a breath Danny took it as his cue to pipe in. “Alejandro, I know it’s confusing. I am not telling you to be one way or the other but don’t deny what your heart truly feels. I know in many parts of the world being gay sucks man. We get ridiculed, threatened, name called, and have to endure some nasty stereotyping. But here in Beacon Hills, we’re treated with respect and dignity and we don’t have to be ashamed of who and what we are.” Danny was pretty convincing when he was passionate about something and Alejandro could see why Ethan loved this boy. “And,” Danny continued, “Stiles if you haven’t noticed is a great looking guy and you would be nuts not to be attracted to him and believe me that boy is one inadvertent touch away from being bisexual. I mean there were moments where I kinda sorta thought he was cute but he just wasn’t mature enough yet and then Ethan came along. He is definitely filling out his frame now and I mean he’s a looker in that boy-next-door kinda way. The fact that Stiles is the only _person_ I have seen you ever lose composure over, EVEN momentarily, is a huge deal. You aren't the cuddliest of characters and you know this man.” Alejandro groaned. This had to be more mortifying than having the sex talk with your parents. “Not true I bet a lot of people think Kira and I are an item and no offense Danny but I thought if I was _ever_ gonna have this conversation it would have been with Kira first.” “I understand Alex (Danny’s new nickname for Alejandro because it was easier than having to listen to others butcher the pronunciation of his real name); just know that I am here if you need any advice or just another friend to talk to and Stevie Wonder could see Kira is just your beard.” “Thanks Danny, I will definitely keep that in mind papa. Now let’s go find Allison and Isaac because if the current trend is holding up they both have some freaky dream shiz’le to tell me about. Oh…. and what’s a beard?” Danny raised an eyebrow before saying “interesting. I’m in. Let’s go and I’ll introduce you to the wonderful world of gaybonics little by little. Just stick with me kid, we’ll take baby steps I wouldn’t want to scare off the newest member to club gay would I?” Alejandro sighed and gave Danny a reassuring smirk.

 _MEANWHILE back in school_  
Stiles walked into Coach Finstock’s Economics class slightly late and was shocked the coach did not yell at him. He was just writing on the board so Stiles proceeded to his desk. When he got there a girl that was unfamiliar to him was in his spot. “Hi, hey uh you are kinda in my seat.” The girl looked up at him and then started using sign language to respond. From the frenetic energy of her response it would seem that she was in no mood to move and Stiles was taken aback because he never knew there was a deaf girl in his class before. He was just missing a lot of vital information this year and he took mental notes to be a lot more observant. “Uh, IT’S OK. I’LL SIT BACK HERE,” Stiles answered back in an over-exaggerated, slower and louder tone as if this would prompt her to suddenly hear him. She kept signing in the same fast pace and repeating the same arm motions. Stiles just muttered “ok” and took the desk two seats back. As soon as he sat down and opened his text book he looked around and noticed everyone was eerily silent and sitting deathly still. Coach Finstock must have said something and he missed it so he spoke up. “Uh sorry coach I did not catch what you just said…” Stiles trailed off and peered down at his book. The words began to pulsate and individual letters began to fall off the page as if they were jumping off the side of a cliff. “What the ….” Stiles looked up at the coach again and saw he was staring directly at him. The coach began to use the same frenetic sign language as the girl two seats ahead. “What is going on hu-here?” Stiles began to get sweaty as a panic attack was coming on. He shakily began to rise to his feet using the desk to keep himself upright as his legs were very wobbly. “I don’t feel so well coach, I th-think I am gonna see the nu-nurse ok?” Stiles began to walk towards the door looking back to see the entire room looking directly at him replicating the same intricate sign language. They all moved in unison and Stiles became faint with confusion. Walking backwards he bumped into the wall adjacent to the door not being able to grasp the handle. He felt he was going to pass out but before he could a booming voice shook him **”Bilinski!! Earth to Bilinski! It’s a clear day, time to land Bilinski!!”** Stiles bolted up with a start. “Sorry coach I-I-I am just a little tired.” Stiles let out a heavy sigh to calm himself down from that near panic attack. He must have fallen asleep in class and had that strange dream. “You all drive me to drink every day,” an exasperated Coach Finstock muttered before turning back to the blackboard. “Dude…….,” a very concerned looking Scott said from the seat next to Stiles. “it’s ok buddy, I just fell asleep that’s all.” Scott’s eyes squinted slightly with his brows furrowing and his entire face looked incredulous. “Stiles, man you weren’t sleeping,” and his eyes darted to the notebook lying under his best friend’s hands. Stiles face contorted in confusion as he followed Scott’s eyes and he looked down at his notebook after removing his hands. There scrolled hundreds of times forwards and backwards, in circle and serpentine patterns, in big letters and tiny letters, over and over again was the phrase **WAKE UP**. “Wh-what is this,” Stiles half-whispered to himself. He got up and bolted out of the classroom in immediate need of fresh air. “Bilinski where are you going!” Coach Finstock yelled but was ignored. Scott immediately ran out after Stiles to which the coach rolled his eyes and muttered “of course.”

Stiles ran down the empty halls and through the double doors leading to the outside of the building. He jumped down the three steps leading to the parking lot before veering right onto the school’s lawn. There he quickly expelled his breakfast and began dry heaving. He could not understand what was happening and it frightened him. He was unaware that his explosion from the double doors and immediate bout of nausea was being observed by the four teens sitting on the lawn nearby. They got up quickly to be at the side of their friend as Scott came barreling out the front door calling Stiles’ name. They all converged onto the boy hugging his knees and dry heaving onto the grass. Concerned hands began rubbing his back and wiling their friend to be okay. “I’ll get the nurse,” Danny said but was strongly denied by Stiles arm grabbing his forearm barring him from getting up to go. “I’ll, I’ll be fine. J-just gi-give me a min-minute,” a ragged Stiles implored through labored breaths. Scott was at his side inches from his face whispering, “come on man, we gotta get you help. This isn’t normal.” **“SCOTT fr-from the day you got bit, n-nothing has been n-normal!”** The tone in Stiles voice was unintentionally harsh but the crowd of people around him was making it difficult to catch his breath. “Alright, alright, alright give the man a little room aight!? Damn you gonna suffocate him like a Brazilian soccer stampede. Give him some air space!” Alejandro finally yelled through the concerned bundle of teenagers. They all backed away slightly with Allison hugging onto a flabbergasted Isaac with tears in her eyes and Scott standing next to Danny, both stiff and unsure. Alejandro leaned down onto one knee in front of Stiles and waited. After a few minutes Stiles began to collect himself and his breathing began to regulate. He slowly unhugged his knees and tilted his head upwards. The first thing he saw was piercing gray eyes that for once were not looking back at him with malice, awkwardness nor incredulousness but with genuine concern and the traces of what looked like tears. “Hey,” is all Stiles could say before the crush of the others enveloping him in a big group hug swallowed whatever words were going to come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! More to come!


	3. Karaoke Night Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write and I hope you enjoy it! It introduces the Beacon Hills Diner and its Friday night karaoke. This is a dialogue driven chapter and the adult language is ramped up so be warned!

“We don’t have to go out tonight you know. We can just stay in and order pizza and have a geeky movie marathon,” Scott gently offered sitting at the foot of Stiles’ bed watching his friend change into outfit after outfit. Stiles tucked a mint green and white checkered button up shirt into his pressed white slacks before buckling his skinny black belt and scrutinizing himself in the mirror. Stiles liked the way his pants hugged all the important man parts that he wanted to highlight as he turned sideways in the full-length mirror to study his own profile. He carefully rolled up the sleeves of each arm and remarked how his newly defined upper body and core was making his shirt fit precise. “Dayum, looks like the freakin’ mannequin Scott! Stiles is hot tonight!” Scott wished his best friend would stop ignoring the events of a few days ago where he had a full-on day nightmare that reduced him to upchucking his stomach contents all over the school’s lawn. Scott sighed and stood up and slowly walked over to Stiles who was still eye humping himself in the mirror and wrapped his strong arms around the paler boy’s waist and rested his chin on Stiles’ shoulder, hugging him from behind. “Scott, I’m fine ok. And you know we are all dealing with bizarre dreams and I will be damned if it stops me from going out on my first real date in…. ever…. Scott. This is my first real date with a real genuine girl that actually looks at me like I am the hottest thing in the world. I really am ok Scott. Are you?” Stiles looked at the mirror to really investigate Scott’s reaction. Stiles felt Scott’s grip tighten as he contemplated the question. “You are right man; we can’t let these dreams stop our lives. We both have crazy attractive dates tonight, well you do anyway. My date will be on the clock but we’re making orange juice out of lemons or whatever the saying is.” After a few more minutes of the boys staying in that same position (bonding) Stiles decided to break the tension. “Uh Scott?” “Yeah what is it buddy?” “If you hold me any tighter or get any closer I think you’ll get _me_ pregnant.” “Oh sorry Sty!” Scott knew he should not have worn such a tight pair of jeans. He was not aroused but just his natural attributes alone were prominent enough to be felt if one were standing close enough, such as they were. “It’s cool Scott I know my best buddy is packin’ heat, I just don’t need to _know_ know. Ya know?" Scott loosened his grip and backed away so that Stiles could turn and face him. “You’re my best friend Scott. Remember what I said to you back at the motel. You are my brother Scott. When and _if_ I need you; if whatever these nightmares are start to get the better of me, you will always be the first one I will run to because we are in this together.” Scott remembered that night vividly as the night he doused himself in gasoline with every intention to end his miserable life. Scott’s eyes began to water as he pulled Stiles into a strong hug. Stiles hugged back knowing their relationship transcended friendship. “Scott, if we keep practically dry-humping like this we could just save time and money and cancel our dates tonight and just get to it.” Scott chuckled heartily and released Stiles once again and both boys just looked at the other with quiet understanding. “Sometimes I wonder about you Stilinski,” is all Scott could say back.  


At the Beacon Hills Diner Kira and Alejandro clocked in for their closing shift. It was 5 PM and the dinner rush was moments from starting. It was a Friday and that meant karaoke night which also meant the diner was going to be packed. It was a little hole-in-the-wall establishment that served greasy diner comfort food and also had a full-service bar. The building was rectangular in shape and walking into the diner one would be met by a wooden podium that served as the host/hostess stand which stood halfway between the bar and the waiting area. Ten red-cushioned booths lined the walls an each side of the restaurant and a dozen smaller square and circular tables dotted the floor between the booths. The flooring was a horrible fake parquet pattern made out of vinyl. At the rear of the restaurant was the kitchen area and waiter’s station and to the far back right corner was a mini-stage where the karaoke performers stood when belting out songs drunkenly almost all believing they sounded like Whitney Houston or Stevie Wonder instead of a dying cat, which is how most patrons would describe the painful noises emanating from most of the singers. It had been a few Friday’s into their tenure when Kira and Alejandro decided to participate in the festivities during 15-minute breaks and to everyone’s pleasant surprise they were amazing vocalists. Every Friday since, the diner karaoke crowd insisted they perform at least one song each or duet and since news of their talents spread the attendance also began to climb, much to the delight of the owner. On this particular Friday Alejandro was dreading performing because his newly established friends from the high school would be there that night.  
“Kira I don’t think I can sing tonight. The whole crew is going to be here and I just don’t think I can make it through a song with them watching!” Kira patiently listened to her best friend while wrapping silverware in napkins making sure there was an abundance prepared to accommodate the crowd. “Alejandro you and I are probably the best singers this place has ever heard. I think you just are being silly and ignoring the huge pink elephant in the room.” Alejandro eyed his friend warily trying to figure out what she was getting at. He ignored her comment and began to roll silverware hoping she’d forget the rest of her statement. As they rolled in silence Kira spoke up again. “Ok well since you are going to ignore it until I drag it out of you I will just say it out loud: you have a crush on Stiles.” Alejandro stopped mid-roll and slowly raised his gaze to meet Kira’s. “Did Danny talk to you? I swear he has such a big mouth…” “No Danny did not tell me,” Kira stated point blank cutting Alejandro off. “Give me some credit Alejandro I am your best friend. You honestly don’t think I would not notice the way you’ll steal quick glances at him from time to time in the hallways at school? Or the way your whole being lights up when he enters the room even though you try to hide it? Or the times you will say his name during your quick cat naps in the booths before we open the diner? I’ve known before you probably have how you feel about him. I wish you would have just told me instead of me having to figure it out and especially before I had to tell you! But I know.” Alejandro was at a loss for words. Kira was a super intelligent girl but he never thought she would figure him out so completely. His eyes began to sting and he could feel the warm liquid begin to rise. Alejandro stood up abruptly turned away from the table willing the tears away. He turned back to his friend and flatly responded, “You’re right Kira. I’m sorry I… didn’t tell you. You are the first person I should have confided in and I feel like an idiot for not doing so. This whole year so far has been so surreal to me and I know there is a shit ton I still do not know about myself and about this place as well. I’m scared chica. I hate vulnerability. Do you remember that guy that walked me home from the morgue that day? He told me that my mother died because she had a moment of vulnerability; a moment of compassion that came back to bite her in the ass. I know she probably died furious at herself for breaking her own rules. She always taught me to never let my emotions rule over me. She told me that things like sympathy, concern, and kindheartedness are dangerous emotions that distract people from their ultimate goals and makes people weak and defenseless. It’s like the way I feel when I think about Stiles or see Stiles or even hear Stiles; he knocks the breath out of my body and my thoughts get irrational and my heart beats erratically to the point I think I might pass out. He has no idea the way he throws off my equilibrium and if I am smart he will never know because guys like him and guys like me never work out. He’s wholesome and loyal and quick witted and the ultimate boy-next-door. People look at him and go _aww how freaking adorable is he?_ People look at me and see thug or purse snatcher or…” Kira had enough of Alejandro’s pity party and cut him off again. “Do you even listen to yourself when you speak??? What do you mean guys like him do not go for guys like you!? You are amazing, and smart, and good looking and a big softie even though your mom tried to condition you to be emotionless. And by the way I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but your mom sounded like a stone-hearted bitch God rest her soul and you should never follow her example! You deserve to be happy and if this guy is a catalyst to this road to awesome then you should at least pursue it! You will hate yourself for not trying and I know you Alejandro. You never back down from anything.” Alejandro could only smirk listening to Kira’s monologue. “What are you smirking about, I’m serious!” Kira was exasperated and could not imagine why Alejandro was smiling. He just arched his eyebrow and asked “you kiss Scott with that sailor’s mouth?” Kira covered her mouth with one hand to suppress a giggle and smacked Alejandro with the other hand. “Come on gay boy we have a lot of work to do before this night is over!” They both shared a small laugh and proceeded to fold more silverware.  
Stiles pulled into the diner parking lot with a jeep jam packed with people that included his date Liz, Scott, Lydia and Aiden. They were followed in a second vehicle by Allison, Isaac, Danny and Ethan. During his drive Stiles occasionally would peer over to Liz and admire her beauty. She was a knockout he had to admit. She was 6’1, in incredible shape (and wearing a one-piece form fitting black dress that showed off every curve) and looked like she walked off of a Victoria Secret runway. The fact she looked like Alessandra Ambrosio’s twin sister solidified the entire image of her. Stiles had no earthly way of knowing why she started talking to him recently because for the three years he’s known her she’s always treated him like he had the plague. This is why he obsessed over Lydia because she was (in his opinion) equally as beautiful as Liz but actually had an intelligent mind and spoke at least a few sentences to him during their high school career before they actually became friends. Since Lydia was off the table then Liz was a good consolation prize. Stiles wished she was not so superficial and vapid but beggars can’t be choosers and many, many, many guys would have begged for Liz. Liz would give Stiles a courteous smile whenever she caught him looking at her during their ride to the diner. She normally would never give him the time of day but she had just broken up with her boyfriend recently, the quarterback for an opposing high school, and she heard that geeks make tremendous lovers. It was often called the _Revenge of the Nerds_ effect and she knew Stiles would be a sure thing. She also had to begrudgingly admit he was a good looking geek and was improving from year to year. Greedily eyeing his crotch area a few times she at least knew that she’d be in for a good time if the indicators held true. Lydia and Aiden were too busy making out in the backseat to notice the goings-on of the front seat and Scott was too caught up in getting squished by the horny couple. He did not mind though because he was hoping to get some similar action from Kira and he just daydreamed about that ignoring the obvious distractions.  


The gang filed into the diner and were met by Alejandro at the host stand. He gave his friends a polite smile which faltered a bit when he saw Stiles walk in followed by his incredibly beautiful date. “Yo ALEJANDRO! The party has arrived,” Stiles called out oblivious to the torment he was causing. “Hey everyone… glad that you could make it,” Alejandro shyly remarked. “Dude I thought you were a server,” a perplexed Scott asked. “We kind of have to double-up here. It’s not Ruth’s Chris or anything.” Half of the group looked puzzled and Alejandro realized that some of them have never heard of a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse before. “Never mind, let me get you all seated.” Stiles piped up and asked “can we sit in your section?” The thought of serving his friends did not bother Alejandro but having to avoid spilling drinks on Stiles’ date on purpose would be too hard a task. “Actually Stiles I’m gonna let Kira take you all if that’s cool.” Stiles feigned hurt, “Ohhhh I see we aren’t good enough for your services. That’s cool I’m sure Kira would be delighted to have us in her section.” Stiles stuck his tongue out playfully and even this childish maneuver made Alejandro’s heart skip and face fall further. Danny shot a sympathetic look towards Alejandro who caught it and forced a smile to show his friend that he was fine. Alejandro led them to two booths near the karaoke stage and placed menus on each table. “Sorry it’s two separate booths guys, we are filling up fast and all of the middle tables usually go first,” he stated genuinely apologetic. “It’s fine… really,” Aiden stated caringly squeezing Alejandro’s shoulders. He maneuvered into the booth followed by Lydia, Allison and Isaac. Scott, Danny, Ethan, Stiles and Liz took the booth closest to the stage. _How did I already know that was going to happen_ Alejandro thought to himself. “Hey guys!” Kira bounded towards the booths with her infectious and bubbly personality. “Looks like I’ll be taking care of you tonight, so what are we having to drink!?” She whipped out her notepad to start jotting orders and as Stiles began to open his mouth Kira jumped in and stated “non-alcoholic of course.” Stiles closed his mouth again and slumped into his seat. The rest of the group all laughed except Alejandro for obvious reasons and Liz who was trying to figure out what was so funny. “If you’ll excuse me I have to take care of my tables,” Alejandro shyly said in a quiet tone.  
The night was going smoothly with Kira, Alejandro and the rest of the wait staff making sure they were attentive to all their guests. Alejandro made it a point to avoid the last two booths closest to the karaoke stage when making his refill rounds which frustrated Kira and confused most of his high school friends seated in the booths. “Is he mad at us for coming here?” Stiles asked his booth mates several times. “He did not seem that excited with the idea to begin with but that wouldn’t explain why he’d avoid us the whole night,” an equally lost Scott answered. Ethan and Danny seemed to be more in the know but kept their mouths respectfully shut. Danny could not keep anything from Ethan and told his boyfriend about Alejandro’s situation and swore him to secrecy. Ethan really felt bad for Alejandro as he and Aiden had ceremonially adopted him as their brother. Crushes really suck especially unrequited ones and in the hypersensitive world of high school these usually spell absurd end-of-the-world mentalities to the ones having the feelings. “It’s kinda rude if you ask me. I mean we’re his friends and we go out of our way to make him feel included and he just acts all childish!? I mean really the cold-shoulder treatment? What grade are we in again?” Stiles was getting agitated and his mouth was beginning to fly loose. “Who cares anyway? He’s just a nobody and really weird. I don’t know why you even are friends with him unless this is like a charity case thing,” Liz added to the conversation. All the wolves at both booths tensed as their super hearing allowed them to clearly savor every hateful word from Liz’s mouth. Isaac began to rise from the next booth to say something but Allison sensed this and quickly forced him back down. Aiden whispered in Lydia’s ear and her eyes bugged open. “What a bitch!” Lydia exclaimed. “Can you guys believe she and I used to be best friends in middle school? I am glad I grew out of that phase because dimwitted pageant queens like that are boring. I honestly can’t see why Stiles is actually on a date with her.” Allison looked at Lydia a moment before saying, “you really can’t tell why he’s on a date with her? Lydia, he’s a horny teenage boy and she’s … well I guess she’s pretty. Boys think with the wrong head 99.9% of the time.” “Hey! We are not all that bad!” Isaac chimed in defending his gender. Allison rolled her eyes. “This coming from the guy that thought Miss Jennifer the Darach Blake was hot?” Isaac turned a bright shade of crimson and shut up. At the next booth Scott stared at Stiles and they both had a conversation just with their eyes. _You gonna defend our friend_? Scott’s eyes burrowed into Stiles. _He is acting like a jerk though_! Stiles’ eyes shot back. _But she has no right to say anything because we’ve only hung out with her what a week now_? Scott’s annoyed gaze replied. _What do you want me to say to her Scotty_? Stiles’ eyes pleaded. _Grow a pair, defend your buddy and stop acting childish_! Scott’s eyes warned. _You are really busting my balls right now_! Stiles’ frantically conveyed back. Scott rolled his eyes and decided to just address the situation but Danny decided to smooth things over instead. “Liz, sweetie? It is Liz right? We are here trying to have a good time so let’s just save our personal opinions for another time okay?” Liz just shrugged and mouthed an “okay” back but her tone was full of whateverness. “You GUYS, you look like you are at a funeral!! Start having fun! Get up and sing some,” Kira stated with enthusiasm. “Scott and I will kick it off!” She grabbed Scott’s hands and pulled him up towards herself and dragged him the few feet towards the stage. Allison winced slightly from her booth but had to remind herself that they were just friends now and it was because of what she wanted. Isaac could hear the shift in Allison’s heartbeat and tried to ignore it, looking a little forlorn as he stared at the table. Kira and Scott chose a Sonny and Cher song and belted it out with reckless abandon. Kira stayed pitch perfect and pleasant which allowed people to forgive her singing partner’s lack of vocal ability. They had a great time acting out the lyrics and the rest of the diner was clapping and whooping it up, cheering and singing along as well. After they finished a breathless Scott plopped back down into the booth with a wide grin on his face which had to do in big part to the peck on the lips Kira gave him after they ended their duet. “GUYS that was so much fun!! You all have to try it out!” Scott was definitely more in the spirit and from across the diner Alejandro smiled to himself because he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Scott happy, especially because it made his Kira happy.  
Hours later the whole gang had tried their hand at singing, all of them several times over as they discovered that karaoke singing was very addictive. They even took several turns dueting with other diner patrons that were somewhat inebriated and constantly swooping the teens up onto the stage with them mostly due to their close proximity to the performance area. Even Liz loosened up enough to sing a horrible rendition of _Baby One More Time_ by Britney Spears. All the while Alejandro avoided getting to close to the group, opting to really give world-class customer service to his guests whether they required it or not. As he began clearing a table Kira popped up next to him and asked, “are you ever gonna stop over there and say **something?”** “Why Kira? I can’t even hide the fact I can’t stand watching Stiles with that girl long enough to be friendly to everyone else!” “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret; he’s not even that into her. I can read body language and I can tell he is just going through the motions. He doesn’t want her.” Kira smiled knowingly at an intrigued Alejandro. “Well then there must be another girl on his mind then,” Alejandro tried to rationalize. “Orrrr another boy,” she winked and walked back to her tables. Alejandro hated to get his hopes up but Kira was always so astute. Alejandro wished he could read minds because he would love to dive into Stiles’ thought processes at that moment. Stiles sat in the booth after his third time up and watched as Liz tried to sing a Selena Gomez song. It was frightfully bad and he sighed. Halfway through this date he realized that besides her looks she really had nothing else he found attractive. Stiles was actually counting down the minutes before he could drop her off and be done with it but the clock only showed 11 PM and he knew his friends were having such a good time that closing the place down was in their futures. He was also still miffed that Alejandro was actively being distant after they worked so hard the past few months now building an actual great friendship. Stiles and Scott and the rest of their pack considered Kira and Alejandro part of them now and they even discussed the possibility of cluing their newest members in on the existence of werewolves and other supernatural forces which would also mean telling them that several of their new friends were actually werewolves too. Now it looked like Alejandro had taken a huge leap backwards towards the angry standoffish jerk that they met in Chemistry and Stiles could not figure out what prompted the change. He was stewing on this thought when he heard a familiar voice talking with the karaoke microphone. “Hey everyone sorry I haven’t sang for you yet tonight. I have been kinda out of it but my manager said I needed to sing…. Or else. Heh. _cough_ Uhm… just kidding…s-sorta.” Alejandro seemed so uncomfortable on the stage at that moment which many of the guests were unsure of why because he usually commanded the crowd. “I’m going to sing this song by Jason Mraz called _I Won’t Give Up_ because I really identify with these lyrics and I know many of you can relate to them as well.” He trembled on stage gripping the microphone stand with both hands and closed his eyes waiting for the familiar guitar chords to start up. The entire diner sat silently and waited and all eyes were fixed on Alejandro. The music began and Alejandro was determined to belt out the song as if he wrote the lyrics himself:

When I look into your eyes  
It's like watching the night sky  
Or a beautiful sunrise  
Well, there's so much they hold  
And just like them old stars  
I see that you've come so far  
To be right where you are  
How old is your soul?  
( _He made sure to sing the opening with great restraint and carefully annunciated every word so the audience could absorb the phrasing_ )  
Well, I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up  
( _Alejandro quickly glanced over in the general direction of his friend’s and was relieved to see they were as enthralled with his singing as the rest of the diner. When he sang of love his eyes darted towards Stiles and he almost lost his place realizing Stiles was staring back unblinking_ )  
And when you're needing your space  
To do some navigating  
I'll be here patiently waiting  
To see what you find  
( _Alejandro prepared to raise his voice several octaves because the song was hitting its’ high parts_ )  
'Cause even the stars they burn  
Some even fall to the earth  
We've got a lot to learn  
God knows we're worth it  
No, I won't give up  
( _The next part of the song was Alejandro’s favorite and when he crooned the words he closed his eyes and fell into a hypnotic union with the lyrics_ )  
I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily  
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make  
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use  
The tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake  
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend  
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn  
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in  
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am  
( _He sang the last line with so much conviction his throat threatened to choke up and his eyes began to get watery_ )  
I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up, still looking up.  
( _Tears were actively rolling down Alejandro’s cheeks by this point and his eyes had watered to the point the room looked like a watercolor painting with colors melting and lines becoming softened and undefined_ )  
Well, I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)  
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)  
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)  
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)  
( _Kira at this point had grabbed a second mic to sing the backing vocals and their voices melded together in a beautiful harmony_ )  
I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up 

Alejandro finished with a stifled sigh and Kira began rubbing his shoulder reassuring him that he did a wonderful job. The diner was silent for a few seconds just attempting to take in the young adult that just poured his entire soul out on that karaoke stage. Finally the applause began and everyone got to their feet to give him a standing ovation while his friends hollered their congratulations from their booths. Alejandro quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gave everyone a quick smile before he stepped down to prepare to resume his serving duties. He quickly nodded towards his friends and scooted by nimbly as to avoid any conversation. After a few more passes without acknowledging the group, Stiles had enough and decided to confront Alejandro to figure out what his problem was. “Guys I need to talk with Alejandro and try to figure out what is going on with him.” Kira, who happened to be nearby, agreed to cover Alejandro’s tables so Stiles could talk to him outside. Stiles found Alejandro near the host stand and plodded towards him. Alejandro looked up in time to see Stiles approaching and attempted to circumnavigate his friend. “Ooohhh Nooo you don’t. You, me, outside, NOW.” Stiles took hold of Alejandro’s right arm and began to force him out the front doors. Alejandro was surprised by Stiles’ strength and conviction and reluctantly allowed himself to be manhandled. After they had gotten several yards from the door Stiles released his grip and took a few more steps further. Alejandro could only see the back of Stiles but could tell he was winding up for some sort of verbal barrage. Stiles swung around with a swiftness that caught the other teen off-guard and began to speak unfiltered. “Look Alejandro I know we have only been friends a few months and I know there is so much we do not know about each other. However, everyone that is sitting in those two booths except for Liz (Stiles rolled his eyes when thinking about his date) have bent over backwards to make you feel like one of us. We have accepted all of you; the good and the bad. The same goes for Kira and as you can see she and Scott are hitting it off famously. She doesn’t give us any of this bi-polar bullshit that you seem to like inflicting on us consistently.” Alejandro winced at the sound of Stiles cursing not expecting such language but Stiles charged on. “So what is the deal man!? Did we offend you somehow? Are we not doing enough? If there is something else we need to be doing to make your hard-headed ass truly believe that we like hanging around you then please be my guest and spell it out. Is this at all related to your mother passing? We all come from broken families Alejandro! Everyone in our circle is broken man! My mother is dead. Scott’s father is minimally in his life. Allison lost her mother recently too. Isaac has no parents! Lydia’s dad walked out on them last year! We don’t even know if Aiden and Ethan have parents! If you ever meet Derek or Cora then you’ll find out their entire family were burned alive in their own home! So these issues you are having are no excuse! We are all fucked in one way or the other Alejandro, but we don’t walk around with chips on our shoulders nor do we give silent treatments like we’re immature dicks! We are more than friends’ man, we’re family so we communicate with each other! So if you want in on that I suggest you start communicating!” Alejandro’s cheeks started to flush as he could feel anger rising up. His Latin blood was starting to boil and before he could stop himself he retaliated. “You think I’m having **mommy issues**? Listen here you self-righteous prick my mood has nothing to do with my fucking mother asshole! Have you ever heard me even remotely mention my mother in all the time you have known me?? NO of course you haven’t because I never have. You walk around thinking you know everything about everyone because you spend hours face deep in books or online researching every goddamn thing under the sun but you don’t know shit about me or my family! If you knew me a fraction as well as you think you knew me you’d know that…” Alejandro cut himself off before he confessed his unhealthy crush. Stiles took the pause to reestablish control of the argument. “I’d know what!? What Alejandro!? I already know that you are an over-sensitive blockhead. You’ve been acting this way all week since I mentioned I had a date. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Are you jealous of me because I scored a really hot girl? I mean you can have her man because besides the looks there is NOTHING else there!” Alejandro lowered his glare so he was staring at the gravel of the parking lot and started laughing an evil and spiteful laugh. He raised his head to stare at Stiles again with the same tears he had earlier. “You ignorant, clueless fool! Yeah I’m jealous of your date but you aren’t the one I’m jealous of… she is! I’m jealous of **her** Stiles!!” Stiles looked at Alejandro bewildered. “Why in the fuck would you be jealous of her…..” Realization crashed down on Stiles like a piano falling out of a ten-story building. His voice trailed off as he looked deeply into the watery gray eyes of Alejandro. “You, you mean… you mean… that… you..?” “I freaking like **you** Stiles!! And I’m not talking the way a person likes their clothes or likes German beer over domestic ones. I am talking full on obsessed with you, you idiot! I have been from the first second I saw you. THE.. FIRST.. SECOND.. Stiles!! Do you know how this makes me feel?! Until you, I did not even know I was gay!! But then your goofy ass walked into that Chemistry room and everything I have ever known has flipped completely upside down! You make me act like a child because you make me so weak. I feel pathetic when I am around you because I can never control my emotions when it comes to anything about you Stiles! I cried in a room full of strangers just now because I was singing a song **to you**!! I dream about you when I am awake and asleep! It’s so goddamn tragic I don’t even know what to do with myself! And you think I would be happy serving you and your bitch of a date all night! Yeah fucking right papito! She was one dirty look away from getting a wine bottle thrown at her!! I saw her give me dirty looks all night chulo! And you know what really hurts?? You did nothing to really correct her stank ass attitude so don’t lecture me about what being a good friend is!!” Stiles was still wobbly from Alejandro’s revelation and his body swayed slightly. His eyes began to water as well from the sheer impact of Alejandro’s secret and his throat had gone unbearably dry and scratchy. He coughed and sputtered trying to get his next sentence out. Stiles tone had understandably dropped to a near whisper as he looked upon Alejandro with new enlightened eyes. Alejandro’s tense stance had too softened as the physical exertion of their shouting match was taking its toll on him as well. Stiles finally began to push words out of his mouth, slowly advancing towards Alejandro. “L-Look man I had no idea and if I did I would never have brought a date to torment you… I would never. I uh, goddamn I have never been in this type of situation before so I don’t know what to say. I mean, I uhm, I am very flattered…” as Stiles was talking he was careful to make eye contact so that his words would come across as 100% genuine as they were intended to be. He gently placed a hand on one of Alejandro’s shoulders and could feel the other teen’s body vibrating with emotional turmoil. Alejandro knew that this was the part of the speech where the " _but_ " would come next and he was not remotely close to being prepared to hear it. “Stiles I know there’s going to be a but or however somewhere in the next few words you were planning on saying and I am going to lose my fucking mind if it comes out of your mouth right now. So please I am begging you, can you please maybe save it for another time because I can’t handle the rejection. Please Stiles.” Stiles’ heart was breaking because he knew he was about to say that crushing word and effectively destroy whatever thread of sanity was holding Alejandro together at that precise moment. “Alejandro, I am here for you. I love you buddy.. .” Alejandro cut Stiles off, “Please don’t be nice to me right now, please! I don’t deserve it and if you are any n-nicer t-t-to m-me m-my heart will b-break even more.” By this point Alejandro’s sentences were coming out in ragged breaths and he needed some separation as soon as possible. “Stiles p-please I need s-some time alone c-can you go b-back inside and let Kira know I had t-to leave.” “You shouldn’t be alone right now. Not right now,” Stiles pleaded in a whisper. Alejandro broke away from Stiles grip and began to walk backwards making sure to keep Stiles in view to prevent him from following. “Alejandro, man, where are you going!?” When he was far enough away Alejandro turned and bolted away from Stiles, across the street and into the woods. Stiles watched unsure what to do because his legs seemed to be like play dough and his mind was still reeling. As he watched Alejandro disappear into the thick trees of the Beacon Hills forest he cursed and asked himself out loud, “why does everything in this town have to be surrounded by goddamn woods!” Just then Scott, Danny, Ethan and Aiden emerged from the diner with Isaac, Allison and Lydia a step behind. The werewolves' faces all looked crimson partly from rushing towards the door but also from shame and embarrassment over using their super hearing to listen in on the entire exchange. “We have to go after him,” Scott said with concern and Ethan and Aiden were already set to break out in full wolfy sprint to track down their newly adopted brother. “No! It’s my responsibility! I will go after him!” Stiles barked his intentions and no one dared challenge him. “Ok man, but we all are going to have our hearing up and are going in after you at the first sound or scent of danger, you got that.” Stiles nodded at Scott and turned to catch up to Alejandro. The argument was still echoing in his mind as he ran into the woods and he realized that his next words to Alejandro weren’t going to be _but_ ; they were going to be _I’m very flattered it’s just I realized I have someone else in mind_.  


Up ahead of Stiles, Alejandro was advancing his way deeper into the forest bumping into tree trunks and tripping over underbrush. _Goddamn it why am I so uncoordinated_ , a flustered Alejandro thought to himself as he approached a clearing. He stepped into the clearing and stopped in his tracks as he heard a twig snap somewhere to his right. “Stiles? Is that you..” Alejandro asked out loud unable to see much as the moon was hidden behind some clouds. He turned his head left and saw nothing then turned his head right again and was met face to face with a man he never seen before wearing a devious grin. “FUCK! Who are you man! You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing out in these woods at this hour man!” Alejandro took some steps backwards to give himself some breathing space. The man kept grinning and staring at Alejandro before finally speaking with every word seeming to be dripping with sarcasm and sassiness. “My name is not _man_ , it’s Peter. **Peter Hale**. And you my frightened little friend are Alejandro I presume.” “H-how do you know my name?” Peter laughed with sinister intent before saying, ”Of course I would know the name of **Kali’s** only son!” Peter’s eyes began to glow yellow and fangs began to grow in his mouth. Alejandro’s eyes widened with unexplained horror and before blacking out he saw Peter advancing towards him with unnatural speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got a kudos!! I am happy and thank whomever did that! It makes me want to work harder to get more kudos and subscribers and comments! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday!


	4. The Clearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a Stiles-Alejandro centric chapter that will reintroduce our love to hate uncle Peter as well as another surprise guest. This chapter will focus on the dialogue between Stiles and Alejandro after their big argument. Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 3 kudos now!! Thank you, thank you!! I hope you enjoy this chapter! leave feedback or kudos!

Chapter Four  
Stiles trudged forward deeper into the woods surprising himself at how agile he was becoming as he weaved in and out of the trees ducking branches and jumping over the undergrowth. After twenty minutes he began to wonder if he should have allowed the werewolves to go after Alejandro being as they were natural trackers and moved extremely fast when it came to navigating through the forest. No, he thought, this was his task and he felt partially responsible for the drama unfolding so he had to be the one to find Alejandro and make it better (or die trying). Stiles began to mutter out loud to himself, “Alejandro… buddy… if you are out here can you please make it easier for me to find you? We need to have a really deep one-on-one man and playing hide-and-seek is really not what I want to be doing right now. So if you can hear me buddy… just… like… I don’t know.. just appear or something…ok??” Stiles was hoping his little plea would work but all the reply he heard was the sound of fallen leaves crunching under his shoes. Stiles sighed and continued onward and began to notice the trees thinning out in number which indicated a possible clearing was up ahead. He finally reached the clearing and from the edge he was relieved to see that Alejandro was at the opposite side sitting on what looked like the remains of an tree that had fallen over. Stiles noted that Alejandro was hugging himself tightly and staring at the ground dejectedly as if he just lost a puppy. Stiles approached cautiously and began to talk in a soothing tone so Alejandro would know it was his friend approaching as he had not even attempted to look up at all. “Hey bud, there you are. You had me worried sick running off like that but I made sure to come after you because that’s what great friends are for right? I did not think you would go so far into the woods though… so let’s get you on your feet and get out of here. That sound okay with you man?.... Alejandro?....” Stiles was getting no response and if he hadn’t noticed Alejandro’s chest rise and fall with every breath he would have thought he was dead. Stiles stood just a foot away from Alejandro when another voice so familiar to him spoke from behind. “Ohhh how touching! The wonderful Stiles rushing into harm’s dangerous embrace with nary a thought of himself to aid a friend. You are just too precious for words. Please don’t mind Alejandro he’s just in shock is all. I was about to tell him a wonderful tale about his mother and of Beacon Hills and of all the wonderful nuances that this town is renowned for. Now that you are here too it can be like storytelling time! How quaint.” Without even turning Stiles instantly recognized the venomous voice and the hairs on his body rose, more out of anger than fear. “Peter I was wondering when your psychotic ass would reappear. He does not need you to tell him anything. We will take care of that okay so why don’t you take your sarcastic bullshit back to that downtown dwelling of yours, drink some wine, hopefully choke on the bottle and leave us the fuck alone.” Stiles turned to face Peter and Peter in reply just smiled deviously. “Tsk, tsk, Stiles. That is no way to talk to an adult now is it? Aren’t you the least bit curious about knowing more about our friend here?” Stiles turned his head and was dismayed that Alejandro had not changed positions as if he was frozen. Stiles turned back towards Peter and frowned, “We know enough about Alejandro to love him for who he is and whatever else he chooses to share with us will be on his terms, not yours. You got that?” Peter laughed before saying, “I must have confused you when I said my last statement with a questioning tone because I was trying to be polite. I really meant: You will know more about your friend because I am in such a sharing mood tonight! And Alejandro here is going to finally get the final puzzle pieces that have been missing from his life so far here in our humble little town.” Stiles’ fists began to ball-up and his body tensed. “Oh come on Stiles at least ask your buddy here who his mother is… er… my apologies, _was_.” “What the hell difference does that make!?” A voice behind Stiles spoke frailly with the weight of defeat, “her name was Kali. My mother was Kali.” Stiles’ head snapped around to look back at his friend as his jaw hung open and his eyes threatened to bug out from their sockets. “YOUR MOTHER WAS…..!”  


“Yes! Surprise Stiles, his mother was a murdering Alpha werewolf bitch!” Peter was having so much fun toying with the young men. “Here’s the kicker Stiles, before just now, Alejandro had no idea that werewolves even existed! Yes that’s right it seems his mommy never told him what she was nor what her business was here in Beacon Hills. Talk about huge skeletons in the closet!” For the second time that night Stiles’ legs threatened to give way so he simply sank down to sit next to Alejandro on the fallen tree trunk. He knew they should have told Alejandro about the supernatural elements of the town and now the cat was out of the bag “Wait this gets better Mr. Stiles. Apparently Deucalion in his infinite wisdom took it upon himself to relocate the lad to a new home the day he had to identify her body at the morgue and even tried to give him subtle hints about why his mother uprooted him to this godforsaken place and even mentioned a rag-tag group of misfits that played a part in her sudden and sad demise. Ohhh Deucalion, Deucalion, Deucalion having pity on this orphan and possibly trying to make amends for Kali’s death.” Peter made sure every word he uttered oozed and dripped with malice and sarcasm because he wanted to completely demoralize both boys. “You know we had nothing to do with her death you bastard,” Stiles attempted to sound stoic but he was still reeling. “Oooh of course you didn’t my pale, pale friend. It was Julia Baccari, aka Jennifer Blake, aka the Darach, aka Kali’s emissary that she took pity on instead of killing all those years ago, and my, my look what became of that! You see your mom became obsessed with wanting power and that meant she had to kill in order to achieve it but her emissary was the one she just could not bring herself to finish off. Sweet serendipity.” Stiles looked over at Alejandro who was still gazing downwards and hugging himself tightly and felt a rush of conflicting emotions. Peter continued, not caring about the damage he was doing, “Alejandro is not the only one with secrets now is he Stiles? I mean is he even aware that a good portion of the so-called teenagers he hangs out with are also werewolves? No he wouldn’t know that would he because his friends did not trust him enough to tell him.” Stiles glared at Peter and said through gritted teeth, “we were going to tell him we just did not have the chance to….yet.” Peter grinned, “well I am so glad I found him in these woods then; if only to be the great facilitator of this important topic! What were you waiting for exactly Stiles? It is a really simple task, talking, and you do that quite well so I don’t know how you weren’t able to squeeze just a smidgen of time to tell our friend Alejandro here such a vital piece of information. Seems negligent if you ask me.” Peter sighed lazily and smiled. “I am growing bored here but before I make my departure I really want to thank you Stiles.” A puzzled Stiles scrunched his eyebrows before asking, “thank me for what exactly?” Peter’s eyes gleamed and he licked his lips before responding. “I want to thank you for delivering yet another fine morsel for me! First Scott and now this one here, I swear I really need to start offering you commission for the extraordinary job you do! I am sorry that you had to have that lover’s quarrel but hey you two are still young and dumb and have plenty of time to work things through! I hope you don’t mind that I listened in on that little exchange you two were having at that dreadful grease box. I never thought that you would become so choosy Stiles! You land one hot date and next thing you know you are turning down love offers left and right! Alejandro is a great looking young man and I _do dearly hope_ you two sort things out. In the meantime Stiles do be a dear and keep an eye out on our friend here, we wouldn’t want him going animal on some innocent person now would we?” Peter laughed a most devious laugh before turning and walking off, disappearing into the thick forest. Stiles was still for a moment trying to take in the enormity of Peter’s words and attempting to decipher them. When he finally began to understand he slowly turned towards Alejandro and carefully took hold of his arms and forced them loose from their hugging position. Alejandro allowed his arms to be pried apart and Stiles began to tear up when he saw the familiar puncture wounds located below Alejandro’s left ribcage; the same pattern that turned his best friend Scott into a werewolf. “Oh God what have I done,” Stiles choked out, his entire being becoming overcome with gruesome sadness. Alejandro finally lifted his head to gaze at Stiles and despite all the anger and hurt that transpired between them that evening, seeing the cinnamon orbs floating on an ocean of tears made Alejandro’s heart break into millions of indistinguishable pieces. “Stiles I think I am ready for that heart-to-heart now if you are still up for it,” a dejected Alejandro quietly stated. Stiles looked into his friend’s eyes and just nodded.  
For several minutes they just sat there side-by-side, both trying to figure out what to say to the other. Stiles finally spoke up first, “Alejandro, man, I’m so sorry. We should have told you about us so much sooner but it’s so difficult you know? I mean how do we even start? _Hey buddy I hope you are enjoying your stay here in Beacon Hills, it’s really a swell place to live, oh and by the way there might be a slight werewolf problem here from time to time but no worries not all of them are bad and we have these druid people that give us kick ass advice and they help us constantly_.” Stiles felt awkward sitting next to a newly bitten Alejandro but he knew he could not abandon his friend, not especially now. “So, what that Peter guy said…. About my mom. Is that true?” Alejandro looked warily at Stiles and wore a grimace partly from his wounds but mostly from what he knew would be the response. Stiles lowered his gaze, sighed, and then looked back up again to face Alejandro. “We… we…all made mistakes and Kali, your mother, she was just doing what Deucalion set into motion. They came here because Peter and Derek were upsetting some weird wolfy balance that I am still trying to understand. Apparently randomly biting teenagers or killing innocent people for sport is not part of some ethics they have as if being a werewolf comes with an instruction manual. Deucalion assembled this pack of Alphas; an Alpha is the leader of a pack and they are either born into it or they kill their way to obtain it. It’s simple: you kill an Alpha, you become an Alpha. In every pack there are the subordinates and you would call these Betas. In a natural world an Alpha would lead a group of Betas until the day their reign ends through old age or from a rival, but werewolves are not natural man. Deucalion discovered that if he killed one of his own Betas then his power increased ten-fold so he wiped out his entire pack. He convinced others he deemed worthy to do the same, and Kali was one that followed him. Your mom was one fierce biat….ahh.. woman. And rather scary, yes very, very scary. I guess you never got to see that side of her so consider yourself lucky in that regard. There were others too including Ethan and Aiden and now it makes sense how they already knew you.” Stiles laughed bitterly, “like I said man, we are all fucked in one way or the other and it just seems the concentration of fuckery is higher here. I just don’t know where or when you came into this picture dude. Apparently you weren’t a werewolf or else Peter wouldn’t have done this to you….” Stiles trailed off remembering the bite and remembering the events that preceded it. Alejandro raised his left arm and placed it gently on Stiles’ shoulder, wincing and gritting his teeth as the pain was becoming unbearable. “It’s not your fault Stiles, I was acting like a wounded idiot, papi. If I was more open this whole thing probably would not have happened. I should be apologizing to you, I mean I am surprised you came looking for me; I wouldn’t have blamed you if you decided I made you too uncomfortable because… you know, the gay thing.” Stiles scoffed slightly, “dude, man, there is nothing wrong with being gay! We love Danny to death and he’s been gay forever and now we love Ethan too. If you haven’t noticed we are awfully progressive when it comes to that sorta thing here. To be honest Alejandro that argument we had was probably the best thing that could have happened, as far as you and I are concerned. That’s the most open you’ve been since we’ve met you. I for one like the more open you.” They stared at each other and Alejandro’s heart began aching again because he knew that for as close as they were at that moment, they were still so far away from where he wanted them to be.  
“So what Peter said about you doing this sort of thing to Scott…,” Alejandro’s voice conveyed the double meaning behind his words. “Oh no, Scott and I are best friends only so it wasn’t like that at all, not like what happened between you and I tonight. My dad is the Sheriff here so I have this bad habit of listening in on his phone calls, conversations, conference calls, looking at text messages, accidentally opening e-mails, perusing documents on the kitchen table, etc. etc…. ok I’m nosy as hell, ok. And I overheard my dad talking about a dead body they found in the woods and naturally I had to check it out and in the process I forced Scott to come along because I mean nothing ever used to happen in this town. Nothing! So that’s how Peter bit him; in the woods that I had dragged him into because I just can’t keep myself out of trouble.” Stiles sighed again. Alejandro hated seeing Stiles beating himself up like this but he looked so damn sexy when he looked wounded a thought that Alejandro pushed away because he did not want to enjoy someone else’s misery. “So Scott….Aiden….Ethan… are all werewolves. Is there anyone else?” Alejandro was getting more inquisitive about the group now and silently was astonished how this big of a secret could have kept itself from him for this long. “Well there is Isaac and then there is Derek and his sister Cora whom you haven’t met. Peter is their uncle but they are nothing like Peter, they are both honorable and good at heart even though they both have this overly sour exterior. You remind me of them actually.” Stiles paused from his ramble and looked over to make sure Alejandro was still following along and saw his friend was perspiring profusely even though the night was chilly and his body was shaking. “Are you alright? We need to get you to someone like Dr. Deaton or even Scott’s mom….” “No, I’m not ready to go yet Stiles. Can we just talk for a little while longer, please?” Alejandro pleaded and Stiles relented. “Ok man, just a little while longer ok?” Stiles scooted closer towards Alejandro and put an arm around his waist forcing Alejandro to lean into him; Stiles wanted to keep Alejandro warm. Alejandro sighed into this comfortable embrace and leaned his head onto Stiles shoulder. “Stiles what other supernatural things should I be aware of around here?” Stiles sighed and explained to Alejandro about druids and emissaries and the role of hunters as well as Lydia’s special banshee abilities. “Wow, I only thought these things existed in movies or comic books man. What the hell kind of place did I end up in?” Alejandro asked almost forlornly and closed his eyes momentarily allowing himself to savor the feeling of Stiles’ thumb tracing circles on and kneading his side. “I know buddy I would be one of the first ones to tell you that things that occur here is the stuff of fantasy but I am 100% not shocked by anything anymore.” There was another brief pause in their conversation and both young men listened to the soft howl of a brisk breeze whipping its’ way through the trees. Alejandro spoke up again after the wind died down.  
“So Stiles what happens now? I mean I’m going to turn into a werewolf right? Will it hurt or worse yet will I try to hurt you?” Stiles wished he knew the answers but he didn’t. “We need to get you back to the others. Scott will know what to do; he’s an Alpha now. He is actually what’s known as a _True Alpha_ , which is a werewolf that becomes an Alpha based solely on their virtue and character and not through murder. Scott has never killed anyone and neither will you because we will make sure of that even if that means babysitting you 24/7 until you have full control of your new powers.” Alejandro knew that time was of the essence but he wanted just a little more of this intimacy before they had to return back to reality. They were both contemplative at that moment not really sure where they should steer the conversation next. Stiles spoke up first and added with a little chuckle, “so you are good at arguing, you should be a lawyer or something.” Alejandro laughed too but began to cough as his body began to become feverish and he noticed his heart rate was dropping. “You aren’t so bad yourself Stiles. I think you have some Latino in you somewhere because you can go from 0 to 100 in a split second.” “Yeah my dad says I get that from my mom; the whole being argumentative and sarcastic. When you are skinny and pasty like I am sarcasm is my only self-defense ya know?” Alejandro simply nodded, “Stiles, how did your mother die?” Stiles sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Cancer… she had battled it for years and it would go away and then pop back up usually in another part of her body. She fought though man. Goddamn she was a fighter, she did not want to die. She wanted to make sure my dad and I would be alright…” Stiles began to break out into mini-sobs as he continued his story and gripped Alejandro a little tighter. Alejandro did not have the heart to tell Stiles that he was causing him physical pain because he knew it was nowhere near Stiles’ mental trauma. “She, she always thought of us first even as her body attacked itself and her organs began shutting down. She died when I was still young, in elementary school, and I remember watching her last breaths at the hospital. She had a tear rolling down her face and I knew… I knew.. she felt guilty! Guilty that she was leaving my father and I alone.” Stiles broke down in full sobs and Alejandro straightened his position so that he could now force Stiles to lean onto his shoulder and be the comforter. “That’s so rough. I am so sorry I can’t even imagine what that would even feel like but she really molded such a remarkable young man papi. You are such an amazing guy Stiles and I fucking mean that with all my heart.” Stiles enjoyed being comforted and felt safe in Alejandro’s arms which instantly turned into guilt because he knew he shouldn’t be liking this feeling as much as he did. He did not want to confuse Alejandro any further but he knew that he was just as confused. “You know this is how Scott and I became such good friends… best friends… actually brothers. He was there for me the entire time I was grieving for my mom. There were many nights I would fall asleep crying and he’d just hold me and tell me it was going to be alright. He made me feel so safe and loved… kind of like you are making me feel right now. We’re going to be the best of friends too man, I know it.” Alejandro knew those words should not have stung as much as they did but it felt like he got hit in the gut by a bus. Stiles could feel Alejandro’s body tense and knew right away why. This was going to be a long and delicate process and many eggshells would have to be walked on before it got better. His heart really ached for Alejandro because he knew what it felt like to have such a profound crush on someone because of the years he felt like Lydia’s Invisible Man. He also felt the pang of guilt at realizing there was someone else he was yearning for and he did not even begin to tap into that barrel of worms.  
After several tense moments Alejandro relaxed his body as if resigning himself to defeat. “This thing I feel for you it won’t go away overnight Stiles but I promise, I mean I swear, that I will try to work through it. I know I am not the one.” Alejandro stifled a quick sob because he felt silly even being sad about his failed crush after the night full of weightier revelations. “Alejandro, I… God man… I wish I knew the most perfect words to say to even begin to make you feel better about all of this. You have to believe me when I say I know what this feels like. And I can honestly say that had I known you longer or you came along earlier in my life, this could have possibly been something. I would never rule anything out, even that. I guess deep down inside I never had a preference either way of whom I fell for because I am a firm believer that you fall in love with a person, not their gender. And I mean this in the most sincerest, non-generic way possible: I really am flattered that you feel so strongly about me because you are a catch man. Yeah you have some personality….quirks… but you could easily be so many peoples’ _man of their dreams_.” Alejandro reflected on Stiles’ words and let out a heartfelt laugh. “I never would have thought that it would be halfway through my junior year of high school that I would develop my first and only (hopefully) crush ever. It sounds so pathetic and simple, crushing, especially when I should be too old for that stuff.” Stiles turned to look at Alejandro, “ your first crush ever?… like _ever_ ever? Really?” Alejandro just nodded. “Wow, that’s heavy Alejandro, you really have low standards, you know that?” Stiles smirked slightly and the mood lightened. “You are a goober Stiles but I wouldn’t want you to be any other way.” They both shared their first mutual smile in what felt like the longest night in all of history. “Hey Alejandro can I tell you something and you have to promise it stays between us.” Alejandro just nodded because shrugging would hurt his wound. “I like it when you call me papi.” Stiles’ face turned slightly crimson. Alejandro smiled and said, “then that will be my special nickname for you… and I get to be the only one that calls you that. Deal?” Stiles smiled back and said “deal.” The weight of the night was starting to lighten but they were both exhausted. Alejandro had one more nagging question and he had to ask it no matter how much it would hurt. “Stiles… can I ask… ummm.. so… why… um.. why did your date with that bimbo not work out? Is it because of someone else?” Stiles was dreading this question and wanted more than anything to ignore it or cover it up with some witty or cynical comment but he and Alejandro had poured their souls out that night and he felt it would cheapen their camaraderie to avoid it. “Yeah man, I realized that these weird feelings I had buried away inside for someone were more than an afterthought. It took one bad date and you, no offense, to unlock what had been tugging at my heart for a while now. They don’t know I feel like this for them but maybe I’ll work up the courage to tell them like you told me.” Alejandro noticed Stiles was playing the non-gender specific pronoun game and this inevitably meant it was another guy that Stiles was longing for. Alejandro almost wished it was another girl because at least it meant that he really had no shot to begin with, but Stiles wanting another guy meant he did not stack up to Stiles’ ideal. Sighing Alejandro spoke calmly and with not one hint of emotion. “I hope whoever this person is that has your heart knows that you are the most wonderful and inspiring individual many people will ever meet and that you are so goddamn beautiful inside and out. I hope this person is worthy of someone as magnificent as you are. Whoever they are must be astonishing.” Stiles was about to say something further when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps and before they could turn their heads a calmly confident voice stated, “I’d like to think of myself as astonishing so I guess I qualify.” Stiles jerked his head around and his eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. “DEREK!” Stiles leapt up and looked deeply into those familiar hazel eyes. “Missed me?” Derek asked but mainly stated. “H-How long have you been listening…. I mean how much have you heard!?” Stiles was starting to bug out. Derek stood firmly in front of Stiles and with a stern face answered, “enough to understand.” A waterfall of emotion was crashing inside of Stiles and he knew he had to control himself for the sake of Alejandro. “OH GOD, Alejandro!...” Stiles quickly turned around to see that he had fallen off the log and passed out, his entire body convulsing. “How long has he been bit!?” Derek asked in obvious concern. “I dun-don’t know! Maybe a couple hours now! It was your psychotic uncle Peter!!” “Dammit Stiles why didn’t you get him to Deaton sooner! We got to move him fast or else we will have a huge problem on our hands! And I’ll deal with Peter later; it seems he’s back to his old self again.” “What do you mean Derek!?” “There’s no time to explain now but I can smell something about his transformation and we got to get him restrained now! I’ll carry him, you get on your cell and tell everyone to meet at Dr. Deaton’s house. We are going to be in for a long night.” Stiles quickly sent out a mass text while simultaneously running behind Derek as they made their way to his familiar black Camaro. Derek placed Alejandro in the backseat and they both hopped in. As Derek floored his car he glanced over to Stiles and Stiles glanced back. They had other things to talk about and both knew it was only going to get more complicated. Stiles turned to look at the forest blurring in his window as Derek drove with no hint of observing the speed limit. His head was swimming and he knew he had a dilemma in his hands. He knew Derek was the one he wanted but all of a sudden a spot in his heart was softening for Alejandro too.


	5. What's a Sterek?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang have regrouped at Dr. Deaton's home and are addressing the pressing issue of Alejandro's impending transformation. Derek has returned and now has to face Stiles and both have to explore the feelings that they have for the other. How will the conversation go? How will the others react? How will Alejandro cope? Is this the beginning of Sterek?

The group sat awkwardly in Dr. Deaton’s formal living room. It was one of those immaculate sitting rooms with the ornate furniture that possessed intricate paisley designs in metallic gold that distracted from the awful grandmother mauve color of the upholstery. Stiles lamented internally over the uncomfortable firmness of the armchair he found himself occupying. He slumped down low in his chair and fidgeted with his right leg bouncing up and down as he chewed on his fingernails while glancing around the room. Lydia and Allison were sharing the loveseat and both sat still with far away looks in their eyes. Allison had her hands between her knees while Lydia was absentmindedly twirling her hair with her fingers. Danny was leaning against the doorframe of the room’s entrance looking downward towards the carpeting. Stiles’ eyes kept circling the room and settled onto a familiar face that was looking directly at his. Marin Morrell stared at Stiles with determined concentration but wore a look of softness and empathy. She had been the high school’s French teacher and guidance counselor and was recently discovered to be Dr. Deaton’s younger sister, fellow druid and former emissary of Deucalion. Stiles remembered an intense session he had with Ms. Morrell in which she was able to dissect every insecurity he had and was able to peel away all his layers of sarcasm, witticisms and overt deflections to really help him discover his sense of self-worth amongst Scott’s pack. He really never had a chance to thank her because through his struggles with Gerard (Allison’s grandfather), the Kanima, the Alpha Pack and then the Darach, he could not find a moment alone with her to do so. He had feared that Deucalion would have slaughtered her like the rest of the Alphas did with their emissaries and he winced slightly as his eyes fell to the bandaging that wrapped around her left breastbone. Perhaps he would be able to pull her aside tonight and have a talk with her but for now he just shifted uncomfortably and waited. Stiles sighed and wished he had super hearing so he could figure out what was going on in Dr. Deaton’s basement where Scott, Derek and the other werewolves were conversing about what to do about Alejandro’s current condition.  


Alejandro was strapped down into a comfortable hospital-style bed while a series of tubes and wires spiraled away from where they were poked into his body towards a bank of several computer terminals where they connected, showing several types of data including his heart rhythm, brain electrical impulses and other monitors displaying numbers that Alejandro could not quite decipher. A bright rectangular light hung down from the ceiling and was powerful enough to engulf his entire body in a bright bluish glow. He noticed a small metal rolling table with various crushed herbs in different glass jars next to the bed to his right. His mouth was bone dry and he tried swallowing but was unable to. “I got ya buddy,” Scott softly stated as he gently raised a bottle of water to Alejandro’s lips and slowly tilted it so his friend could drink. The cold water was like the nectar of the Gods at that moment and Alejandro welcomed the entire bottle in one gulp. “Thanks Scott,” Alejandro let out in a hoarse voice. “It’s no problem bud. There’s plenty more just let me know if you need some, ok?” Alejandro nodded and focused on the other people in the room. To his immediate left Aiden and Ethan sat closely with concern written all over their faces. Directly behind them was Isaac who too had a look of concern but also wore a look of understanding. Alejandro knew they had a lot in common and now they were going to have even more in common and he mentally made it a point to really get to know Isaac better. Alejandro turned his head slightly to his right to stare at Scott crouched close to his side, still not having moved from the spot he was in helping Alejandro drink. He presumed the adult male wearing a white lab coat and standing behind Scott with his back leaning against one of the tables that held a monitor was Dr. Deaton and next to him was an impossibly attractive and rugged man that Alejandro instantly knew was Derek Hale. Something inside of Alejandro began to throb and he could not tell if it was the result of the bite or from looking at the man that held Stiles’ heart. Derek was ridiculously good-looking and 100% man with a permanent 5-o’clock shadow and a jawline that looked like Michelangelo chiseled it out of marble. He had dark hair and nice tan skin and the tight clothing showed that he had a perfectly sculpted body. If he had an imperfection Alejandro was failing to find it and his heart sank because he knew he could never measure up to that. Derek’s hazel eyes seemed to be boring into Alejandro’s gray ones as the rugged werewolf stared intently at the teen strapped onto the table. Derek finally spoke uncrossing the muscular arms that had been hugging the incredible abs hiding underneath, “I don’t understand Deaton. My uncle is not an Alpha, how could his bite be able to turn him? Only Alpha’s can turn people but I can smell his blood transforming. It doesn’t make any sense.” Derek’s jaws were clenched and the muscles of his face could be seen clearly. Dr. Deaton sighed and walked forward slightly. “Well this was going to get out sooner or later so now is as good a time as any.” Ethan and Aiden shifted uncomfortably because they knew what Dr. Deaton was about to reveal and the remaining wolves noticed the twins’ obvious discomfort. “Alejandro here is not a normal teenager. His mother was Kali (Scott’s brows rose with such dramatic flair that in other circumstances it would have seemed comical) but his father was human. For some reason due to some genetic abnormality he was not born as a fully-fledged werewolf but Kali’s blood still courses through all of his veins. I am not sure if you, Alejandro, have noticed certain heightened abilities growing up but my sister has filled me in on certain things she has observed.” Dr. Deaton saw the look of confusion on Alejandro’s face and launched into further explanation. ‘Ms. Morrell, or Marin as you know her by, was the one that took you in when Deucalion took you home from the morgue all those months ago. Derek and Scott’s final act of mercy on him led to his wanting to make an amends for the path he set your mother down which ultimately led to her murder by the Darach. He reached out to me, as my sister was not in a forgiving mood, which was understandable as it is often difficult to forgive someone that tried to murder you. In the time you have stayed with her she has noticed your proficiency in learning languages as well as your ability to seduce with song.” Alejandro harrumphed loudly at the thought of his ability to seduce anyone with his singing because as far as he could tell Stiles was not seduced in the slightest.  


“So….,” a thoroughly confused Scott began and it was easy to tell the mental exertion was giving him a headache, “Kali was your mom?! I mean how did we not know this? Wait, Ethan and Aiden, you both knew didn’t you!? Why didn’t you tell any of us ?? We thought we could trust you both!” Ethan stood and leaned over the bed to get closer to Scott. “What difference would that have made Scott? Would knowing who his mother was change how you were going to treat him? Were you all not going to befriend him because of who’s womb he popped out of?? He is not his mother. He did not even know about werewolves until Derek’s psycho uncle bit into him! So tell me, what difference would it have made had you known?” Scott could not come up with a reply and just sat with a confused scowl. Ethan took this as a temporary victory and sat back down. Isaac too finally found his voice and spoke up. “So I don’t get it. Why would Peter bite Alejandro? What was he trying to do? There’s so much information we are not getting.” Deaton replied, “somehow Peter must have found out about Alejandro’s lineage and knew that even a Beta’s bite would be enough to turn him because he had wolf DNA already in his body. This makes sense because Peter, Derek, Cora they are all born wolves so they pretty much know everything there is to know about all the nuances of what it means to be a wolf and to go further Peter is ruthlessly cunning and it would not surprise me that he took the extra steps to study even the most obscure of werewolf factoids.” Isaac was not satisfied with this answer and inquired further. “But WHY? Even knowing about Kali and Alejandro, why bite him? What sense does that make? He has no reason to bite anyone unless…” “Unless he’s trying to be an Alpha again and is building an alliance to accomplish this,” Scott quietly chimed in staring off into space. Scott knew that he was a true Alpha and that Peter had been smarting the day his Alpha status was revoked when they all banded together to defeat him and Derek ripped his throat out to claim the title. Peter was able to use Lydia to reincarnate himself and Derek had to give up his Alpha title in order to save Cora’s life, transferring much of his life force into her. Scott was now the only Alpha and he now knew Peter wanted the throne back. Derek crouched down next to Scott. “He will have to get through us first Scott and I guarantee you that he won’t be able to.” Scott sighed and rubbed his forehead. Dr. Deaton cleared his throat, “what we really need to focus on is how is the mixing of Peter’s bite going to interact with Alejandro’s bloodline. Unfortunately I don’t know the answer to this, but there is a full moon tomorrow night and we need to prepare.” Alejandro stayed quiet listening to all the side conversations and his mind drifted in and out of each one, all the while thinking about Stiles. Maybe they could be best friends, but wait, Scott already occupied that role. Derek had his heart and Scott had his unwavering trust. What could Alejandro have? His tears were beginning to form and Isaac was the first to notice them. He approached the bed and leaned in, whispering into Alejandro’s ear (not that it mattered with the present company). “It’s ok dude. We will figure this all out. I’ll be here for you and help with this transition because I know how rough it is. Scott will accept you into his pack I know it and when he does you’ll be my brother and we’ll always have each other, ok?” Alejandro nodded and really appreciated the kind words. As he began to smile his entire body started racking in immense pain to the point he thrust his stomach upwards straining against the strapping of his restraints. He let out a guttural scream and the veins around his neck began to pulsate. Sweat began to form all over his body and he clutched the metal arm holds of the bedsides.  


“WHAT’S HAPPENING TO HIM!?” Isaac called out in distress as the others attempted to hold Alejandro down to keep him from injuring himself. “I don’t know! I think his body is trying to reject the bite,” Dr. Deaton replied trying to prepare a sedative out of the herbs he had placed on the nearby table. “Hurry up Doc! He’s going to rip himself apart,” Derek barked grabbing hold of one of Alejandro’s legs while Scott held down the other. The twins were trying to control the upper half of his body. “He’s freakin’ strong as hell!” Aiden yelled out clearly surprised. “Alejandro, calm down bro! Come on man we are here! Calm down!” Ethan was attempting to talk his adopted brother down but none of the words were getting through. Alejandro’s body kept writhing and convulsing and the entire imagery conjured up one of those intense and bizarre exorcism scenes. The entire bed began to shake violently and suddenly all four wolves holding Alejandro down were thrown backwards. Derek and Aiden were thrown into the computer terminals causing the lines and tubes to snap while Ethan and Scott were flung into the corner walls. Alejandro’s body began to levitate snapping the bed restraints. Isaac stared in horror and Dr. Deaton frantically scrambled around the floor looking for the appropriate sedative. Alejandro’s body snapped forward and he began floating upright with his arms outstretched as if he was attached to an invisible cross. His head hung to one side lifelessly. Scott jumped to his feet in full Alpha mode with gleaming red eyes and his body increasing in size three-fold, causing the clothes he was wearing to stretch and rip. He stalked towards his friend’s floating body and leapt catching hold of him in mid-air and wrapping his entire body around Alejandro. The other wolves at this point were able to get back to their feet also having transformed into their Beta forms(even Aiden and Ethan whom were considered Omegas after their Alpha pack was defeated but were now Scott’s Betas). Scott was able to knock Alejandro down from his air perch and they both crashed down onto the bed, with Alejandro landing on top. After a few tense moments Alejandro’s body began to calm and relax and whatever reaction that was happening had worked its way through. He opened his eyes and was met by Scott’s kind brown eyes looking up at him. Scott had reverted back to human and the other spectators breathed a collective sigh of relief. Alejandro and Scott seemed unsure as to what they should do next. “This is kinda awkward huh Scott?” Scott just smiled and nodded. Alejandro’s body naturally reacted to having such an attractive guy laying under it and he began to blush. Scott could feel the stirring of Alejandro’s manhood and he too began to blush, but did not jerk upwards rudely to brush his friend away as he was battling his own arousal. The friction of their two bodies had caused a similar result and Scott was surprisingly not bothered by it. Alejandro tried to will his erection away which failed horribly when he realized the state of undress Scott was in. “Scott, why are you like, naked papi?” The rest of the room chuckled as the initial apprehension melted away, even Derek joining in. The wolves could smell the arousal as well and were all being mature as to not point it out. “Ahem, let’s uhm let these two collect themselves shall we? Let’s go upstairs and relax and plan out our next move.” With that Dr. Deaton led the others upstairs with Isaac glancing back to give Alejandro a reassuring look.  


When the others had left the room Alejandro slid off of Scott carefully. “Pa, I am so sorry I could not help that….my body just reacted and…” Scott cut Alejandro off and pointed downwards towards his very prominent erection. “We both reacted and it’s cool man. Just don’t tell Kira ok? I am not sure how she would even take this or how I would begin to explain it.” Alejandro took the opportunity to twist Scott’s words. “Scott man I don’t know how she would take _that_. I mean high-five man she’s a lucky girl! Damn, I thought I was a big boy!” Scott blushed even further but laughed. “You aren’t right man”. Alejandro scrounged around the room and found a white, full-length lab coat hanging from a hook near the foot of the basement steps. He grabbed it and threw it over to Scott but admired his naked friend once more before doing so. “I saw that,” Scott said amused. “I is what I is,” Alejandro replied with a shrug. Scott put the lab coat on and sat down and Alejandro sat next to him. “Scott I’m scared. What’s going to happen to me? To us?” “Well you are going to transform into one badass wolf man, I mean if you are anything like your mom.” Alejandro flinched. “I am sorry I never told you about my mom. I honestly did not know there was that much to tell!” “I know you didn’t know buddy. It changes nothing between us. I was surprised that’s all.” They sat in silence a few moments. “So Scott, when I transform, what would I be? A Beta? Because you are an Alpha right?” Alejandro tried remembering the explanation Stiles had given him earlier. Stiles crept back into his mind and he sighed. “What’s wrong Alejandro?” Scott looked worried. Alejandro took a deep breath. He thought of not telling Scott, but they had shared such an intimate moment that it seemed silly to not share his feelings. “Scott, I’m in love with your best friend.” It flowed out of Alejandro effortlessly. Scott did not even cringe. “I know. I mean we sorta overheard back at the bar.” Alejandro gave Scott the _uh-huh_ look and knew Scott had used his wolfy hearing to eavesdrop. Scott smiled shyly and continued, “and as far as what you will be after you transform, I have no idea man, but you are always welcome in my pack if you want.” Alejandro considered this offer. “Thanks Scott, I really appreciate that. As far as Stiles goes it doesn’t really matter anyway though. He wants Derek,” Alejandro exhaled sharply as if admitting this fact out loud was painful. “I don’t blame him. Look at that dude; I mean he’s like physical perfection. Throw a cowboy hat on him and slap a cigarette in his mouth and he’d be the Marlboro man.” Scott snickered at the comparison. “Alejandro, man, they have had a lot of history. A lot. I am actually surprised it took them this long to realize that maybe all of their interacting would grow into something more…. Intense. And I really wish you would really look at yourself in the mirror man. You are no slouch in the hot department. I mean look what happened earlier!” Alejandro’s eyebrow raised. “Scott, you know that was just friction. I know you aren’t into guys.” Scott winked at his friend. “It was a little friction and a little attraction. I can admire beauty in all its forms.” Alejandro stared at Scott and admired how astute and utterly kind he could be. “So I have no shot huh? With Stiles?” Scott looked over at the vulnerable gray eyes and just shrugged. “Alejandro I have learned through the wise words of Ellie Goulding _anything could happen_.” Alejandro smiled at his friend and nudged Scott’s shoulder with his own. “You been hanging out with Kira too much.”  


Upstairs the group had broken off into several gossiping circles as Ethan, Danny, Aiden, Lydia and Allison sat in the sitting room conversing about the night’s events with the girls asking most of the questions while the twins attempted to field all the queries. Dr. Deaton was in deep conversation with his sister Marin in the corner. Danny looked over to see Isaac staring out of the front window and wondered what he was looking at. Isaac looked out onto the front lawn at the two figures standing tentatively a few feet apart and was listening in intently. Out in the front yard Stiles stood with his hands in his pockets and stared at the grass, waiting. Derek had buried his hands deep within his leather jacket pockets and stared at his black Camaro absentmindedly in deep thought. Stiles was starting to get impatient and took one of his hands out his pocket and rubbed his hair. “Derek, we gonna talk about this, like maybe now?” Derek’s body shifted to stare at Stiles and Stiles recoiled at the intensity of Derek’s glare. “What do you want to talk about Stiles? What is it that you think is going on here?” Stiles smirked marveling at how deflective Derek could be. “Well we could maybe talk about the way we feel about each other? Let’s start there.” Derek clenched his jaw. He had no idea what prompted him to barge into that clearing to state the implied dominance he had in Stiles’ heart but observing Stiles and that other teen provoked some deep rooted jealousy. Derek never expected that skinny and overly spastic boy to worm his way into his heart but somehow he did. It could have been the way Stiles was there to help him when he got shot with a monkshood laced hunter’s bullet, or the way Stiles would not allow him to drown when he was paralyzed by the Kanima and fell into the high school’s pool or all the countless banter they engaged in the past few years. There was always an unspoken bond between the two and during his time away from Beacon Hills vacationing with Cora he actually missed seeing Stiles. When he tracked his uncle to the clearing he had already been too late to save the new boy from being bit so he observed from a safe distance and overheard the entire conversation. When he could hear Stiles’ heart begin to beat faster when the boy kept professing his attraction he had to step in but he paused just in time for Stiles to almost declare out loud what he felt for Derek. Derek smiled to himself before announcing his arrival, much to a shocked Stiles. Now here they were, somewhat alone in the front yard of Dr. Deaton’s house, and he had to face the consequences of his jealousy.  


“Look, Stiles, we have a lot of….issues to resolve and as much as I would like to explore them, right now might not be the best of times.” Derek hoped this would deter Stiles, but he was in no way shocked to discover that it hadn’t. “Oh no, NOW seems like the perfect time Derek. I am riding a whirl-fucking-wind of emotion right now and you are just going to have to deal. You ran away for months and I understand that you wanted to leave all this Derek, but we tried to reach out to you; I tried to reach out to you! You even got some of those drunk texts I sent…don’t look confused I know you got them. You know those texts that hinted how I was feeling about you, how I was missing you, how we needed to maybe talk. And nothing Derek. I got nothing back. And poof you just show up tonight and think that maybe another time would be a _better time_? No, right now is going to be the time before something else pops up, ok?” Derek could not argue because he knew Stiles was right. “What should I say Stiles? Do you want to hear that I missed you too? Do you want to hear that I had to fight every impulse to call you back when I read all those sloppy, drunk texts? Do you want to hear about all the times I confided in Cora the entire trip about what I would say to you when I finally got to see you face-to-face? This isn’t easy for me Stiles, I don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve like you all do. I am guarded for good reason. My last two relationships almost killed me….literally. I know you aren’t Kate Argent or Jennifer Blake…don’t roll your eyes. This isn’t a simple they are girls and you are a boy type thing. I know you are different because everything about you is good and pure and innocent. I don’t know if I even deserve something as genuine as you Stiles. I don’t want to corrupt you somehow or put you in harm’s way. I am not strong enough.” Stiles listened and his insides were feeling warmed by the words coming out of the stoic Derek’s mouth. He knew he wanted Derek but was always afraid to embrace it all the way. When he and Scott ran into him near Hale Manor his freshman year while looking for Scott’s inhaler he was instantly struck by the chiseled cheekbones and intensity of his eyes. When Stiles confronted him in his dad’s sheriff’s cruiser, the eye contact they shared stayed with Stiles for months. All of the misadventures they endured in which Stiles pretended to absolutely despise Derek’s company only grew the attraction. Even when Derek was slamming his face into the steering column of his jeep for toying with him in front of Danny fueled the fire further. He was unsure of the mechanics of a boy-boy relationship especially when it came down to the most primal parts but he could always ask Danny he thought. “Derek you are the strongest guy I know next to Scott. You punched through that bank vault wall for god’s sake!” “No… Stiles…you don’t understand…if something happened to you…I’m not strong enough.” Stiles understood. Derek would go out of his mind with grief if something happened to Stiles and he was not strong enough to cope. “Derek, nothing is going to happen to me. I’ve made it this far right? Just a scrape here, bruise there, but still intact.” Derek just stared at Stiles unwavering. “What about the nightmares? I still remember the messages you sent me describing the morbid dreams you were having. How are you dealing with that?” Stiles did not respond right away. “Thought so. I know it’s only going to get worse Stiles. You guys took a real big risk to save your parents, and now you will have that darkness forever. And it’s my fault. I was dating that monster, sleeping with her, and the entire time…” “Derek you can’t blame yourself for her. She fooled all of us. She killed Alejandro’s mom…. Alejandro…, that is going to be a very awkward conversation.” Derek studied Stiles’ face carefully to see if there were any hints of anything romantic. Derek moved into Stiles personal space to hug the smaller-framed teen tight. Stiles welcomed the embrace , feeling safe and secure, but still could not shake the lingering images of gray eyes. “So what now…are we a thing?” Stiles asked this with a lot of uncertainty as Derek continued to hold him. “We should just take it slowly. This is new for the both of us…and you still have a ….stalker.” Stiles frowned not expecting to be offended by Derek calling Alejandro a stalker. “He’s not a stalker Derek, he just happens to be head over heels about me ok? Let’s not call him names.” Derek’s face broke into a frown as well. “How do you feel about him then?” Stiles sighed. “I’m not sure Derek. All I know is that we all have a lot of sorting out to do. I want you Derek but I would be lying if I said a part of me isn’t intrigued by him too. I mean it felt kinda good to hear someone was that consumed by me…me…Stiles.” Derek was not pleased by this answer and vowed to make sure he was the only one Stiles coveted. “Well, let’s start with dinner, my place, next Friday. That sound ok Stiles?” Stiles smiled and nodded in agreement. He was going on a date with Derek and he was actually giddy about it. He needed to make sure to hang out with Lydia the upcoming week so they could gossip and prepare for his date. He also needed to talk with Alejandro and try to salvage their newfound friendship. It was going to be a slippery slope but he had to navigate it. He was also worried because he knew the full moon was going to happen the next evening and Alejandro was going to be a brand new werewolf. Stiles was so lost in thought that he had no time to anticipate what would happen next.  


Isaac cringed from his vantage point in front of the window knowing how heartbroken Alejandro was going to be when he found out about this date. He shook his head and was about to turn away when he saw Derek and Stiles pull closer into a kiss; not a peck but a full blown make out. He made a revolting face at the sight of Derek wrapping his big strong arms around the lower back of Stiles and pulling him deeper into the kiss. It just seemed tacky to Isaac considering what just transpired that night to be in any sort of hooking-up mood. After five minutes of watching Derek and Stiles kissing and groping and practically dry-humping standing up, Isaac tapped on the window to break it up. Stiles looked towards the window sheepishly and untangled himself from Derek’s arms with a blush and awkward smile before quickly covering the all too evident erection displaying itself prominently through his white slacks. Derek simply glared towards Isaac for interrupting his attempts to mark his territory but kept his anger in check. “I guess we should rejoin the others then,” Stiles said awkwardly towards Derek, still in a daze over the passion of the kiss. He was surprised how easy and natural it felt as if he kissed boys every day or something. Before they walked inside Derek grabbed hold of Stiles’ arm. “Stiles, if we are going to do this I need you to be 100% committed to me and only me. Werewolves are possessive and get jealous easily and I don’t want to have to get violent in order to protect what’s mine, ok? So if there is any shred of anything in regards to Alejandro you might want to work it out of your system because you can’t have both of us. Got it?” Derek was borderline aggressive and threatening and this turned Stiles off. “Derek let’s get one thing straight. I will not be your bitch and you will not talk to me with any hint of threatening in your voice. We are having our first date ok? We aren’t getting married. And how I feel about Alejandro is irrelevant because I have chosen you. He’s respectful so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about and I will talk with him so that he knows the boundaries. I know how crushes work believe me and everything is a million times more amplified for him. So try not to push any buttons.” Derek gritted his teeth to avoid carrying the conversation further. He had put himself out there and admitted his affections for the teen and was expecting an avalanche of fondness in return. He was Derek Hale after all and he could smell Stiles’ repressed attraction for him since the day they met. Even as Stiles stumbled his way through high school having the usual teenage crushes on girls and attempting to gain popularity, Derek could always sense the lingering looks he got from Stiles when they were forced to work together and he had to admit he grew to like them. He would never consummate their relationship until Stiles was of age out of respect for human laws, but that age was fast approaching and now they had vocalized their mutual attraction. “Earth to Derek!” Stiles was waving his hands in front of Derek’s glazed over face. Derek was shook from his thoughts. “Huh,” Derek stated hazily. “We going inside?” Derek just nodded and they entered the house. They walked into the sitting room where the groups were still conversing and Stiles glanced over at Isaac who looked somewhat perturbed. Stiles shrugged and gave Isaac a _what_ look to which Isaac just rolled his eyes. Derek walked over to the corner to converse with Dr. Deaton and Ms. Morrell so Stiles walked over to the big cluster of teens to catch up on what they were discussing. Isaac sighed and wondered why he was taking this so personally and realized it was because he was still feeling weird about Allison’s lingering thoughts about Scott. He turned to stare out the window again and his eyes fell upon an unusual sight. Across the street, between two houses, he caught what appeared to be a red fox sitting and staring at Dr. Deaton’s home. He could not remember the last time he’d seen a fox in that part of California. As he continued to observe he could almost swear that there were tears rolling down the fox’s face. He looked away quickly turning towards the group but they were all still engrossed in conversation, so he turned back towards the window but the fox had gone. _Weird_ Isaac thought as he continued to stare out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's been a few days and I actually was unsure if I wanted to continue to write this story because I do not know if it is any good at all. I notice other stories are getting a great number of views and kudos and I assume maybe my story is not the type people are interested in. If I am wrong please let me know and I'll continue my build-up and let me know the keywords I need to add to maybe bring more traffic to my story. Thanks all of you that have stopped by to read my work!


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott's pack is in the middle of dealing with Alejandro's first shift when newer and even deadlier foes spring up to complicate their lives even further. Friendships will get tested while the seeds of other bonds begin to get planted. How will the pack fare against forces that they are ill equipped to handle and how will they react when one of their own turns out to be their biggest threat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry I have taken forever to get this chapter up. I was unsure whether I wanted to keep this story going because I felt that maybe it was not going to gain traction with the readers but I love writing so much that I decided to keep going because I was not ready to leave the universe I created. This chapter is definitely longer than previous and I wanted to cram as much of the Nogitsune storyline as I could because I did not want to draw it out. It's a cool storyline in the real show but I feel I want to focus more on relationships that exist within this universe than the cool actiony plotlines. So there will probably be just one more long chapter to wrap the Nogitsune storyline so I can get back to the dramatic entangling alliances and relationships that I love so much! Thanks for all of you that have checked out my story so far!

Scott breathed heavily and clutched the right side of his abdomen where an angry red gash peeked through the tattered remains of his t-shirt. It looked as if a rabid animal had swiped at the teen and had connected. His eyes glowed a bright red as he kept firm pressure on the wound and kept a keen eye on the entrance of Dr. Deaton’s veterinary examining room. He was in a half-crouch behind an overturned metal table that served as a makeshift barrier. Somewhere behind the table and being guarded by a vigilant Scott was a badly injured but alive Stiles who lay crumpled on the floor. He was groaning in pain and only semi-conscious and Scott new he had to get his best friend to a hospital. Scott honed his hearing to listen to the battle raging outside the building. He had carried Stiles into the protection of the veterinary clinic after all hell had broken loose. He could hear the growls of Derek and Isaac as they tangled with their attackers. Scott let out a low growl as his thoughts drifted to Kira and the last moment he saw her being flung into the woods forcibly by the marauding aggressor. He did not know if she was hurt or if she was still alive. The battle was getting louder which meant they were getting closer to the building. He listened even harder and could hear Allison, Lydia, and the Twins a little further in the distance. Allison was firing off round after round of explosive arrows while the twins seemed to be mixing it up with what Scott could only describe as shadow samurais that materialized out of the dark when the fighting began. Lydia was employing makeshift Molotov cocktails she had cooked up in the jeep earlier that night to keep the other samurais at bay.  
  
“Scott, you ok!? How is Stiles?” Dr. Deaton somehow had poked his head into the back room having eluded the melee outside. Behind him his mother and Danny were looking on with determination. “He’s still hurt bad! We need to get him out of here fast!” Melissa looked perplexed. “I thought we already discussed this earlier Scott. His injuries weren’t that severe.” Scott could not believe his mother. “Well his injuries seem to have gotten worse then!” Dr. Deaton furrowed his brow, “that might not be an option unless we can somehow turn the tide Scott!” Scott could hear the yelps of pain as Isaac must have gotten injured outside. Dr. Deaton seemed to follow Scott’s train of thought and sprang into action. “Scott we have to get out there and see how we can help! Stay here!” With that the three ducked back outside to join the fray. Scott began to get frustrated not being able help his pack but he could not leave his best friend vulnerable. At last count there were at least six of the mysterious shadow entities working alongside Scott’s attacker and considering how ineffective his pack had been in harming them they could have numbered in the thousands for all it mattered. Scott was shaken from his reverie by the sight and sound of Derek crashing through the front door and into the wall. He was knocked out cold but still breathing from what Scott could tell. Scott’s body began to rise up and take on a threatening position ready to mount a counterattack on whatever would appear in the doorway next. He emitted a low growl and his eyes burned with more luster than the brightest rubies in existence as he prepared for a battle to the death if it came down to it. Crunching over broken glass a single entity stepped into the lobby and directly into Scott’s eye view.  
  
The uninvited figure paused to inspect Derek and once satisfied that he was not going to wake up anytime soon turned his attention to Scott. They made eye contact and any outsider watching this would be confused as to why there was a lull in activity. “Scott… you have to understand. I am not here to hurt you or anyone else in this pack. I just want Stiles.” Scott scoffed at this attempt of reasoning by the figure that Scott could only call his enemy at that exact moment. “We have a problem then because I am not giving him up….. Alejandro.” The low and threatening tone of Scott’s voice would have normally been enough to frighten any lesser werewolf, but the newly transformed one standing in front of him was unflinching. “Scott, you have to trust me. That thing you are protecting is not your friend…” Scott cut Alejandro off before he could continue. “NO ALEJANDRO, YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND. NOT ANYMORE, NOT EVER AGAIN!” Alejandro flinched, not from the power of Scott’s voice but by the words that spilled out of them. Scott picked up on this slight moment of weakness and carried on in an attempt to further break Alejandro down. “Ohhhh did I touch a nerve there? You thought that I would actually allow you to hurt my friends, my family and still regard you as a friend? I trusted you; I welcomed you into my pack… into my life! I was going to make you pack, you self-righteous asshole. Then you attack my pack; bring in these goddamn ninja henchmen…. I mean have you been plotting this!? You can’t have Stiles so you decide to abduct him? You are so fucked up I can’t even… why the fuck am I wasting my breath? Only one of us is walking out this room alive Alejandro and believe me it is not going to be you.” The finality of Scott’s words began to cut into Alejandro. Had he not had Kali’s blood coursing through his veins he would have crumpled down and wept at losing someone as special as Scott, but luckily Kali’s blood was his own and her strength was as well. Alejandro steeled himself and let his eyes refocus. “Very well Scott. I hope you are right because I won’t hesitate to defend myself and if killing you is the only option I have to make sure that threat laying at your feet does not escape, so be it.” The two combatants locked eyes once more and Scott smirked. He knew that he was battered but his pride at being a True Alpha and protecting his pack allowed him to ignore his pain. As they stared each other down Alejandro flashed through the events of that day and how it led to the current standoff.  
  
EARLIER THAT DAY (ALEJANDRO’S FIRST FULL-MOON)  
  
The pack had spent the moments leading up to Alejandro’s first full moon in full preparation mode. Normally all they had to do was buy some heavy-duty chains and the issue would have been solved. However they knew Alejandro’s was a special case and the violent mixing of Kali’s and Peter’s DNA (Hale DNA Alejandro had to remind himself and often found ironic considering his feelings for Stiles and new found jealousy for Derek) had created something that even chains could not confine. They were all collecting supplies and powders and whatever supernatural things that could assist in helping contain Alejandro. Luckily they allowed him to separate himself from this because he was looking overwhelmed the entire morning. Alejandro was hanging out with Kira at the mall because he had a lot of explaining to do as to why he disappeared from the diner the prior evening. They sat in the food court and Alejandro was mentally not there and did not notice Kira glaring at him the entire time. Finally a French fry smacked him directly between his eyes and snapped him back into reality. “What was that for Kira?” Kira gave him an exasperated look. “Oh I don’t know Alejandro… maybe it could be you were acting like a jerk at the diner last night and then a wounded animal (Alejandro slightly flinched at the description) AND then you decided to up and leave to not come back and I was worried sick about you!!” Alejandro let her vent because he knew she was right. There was about five more minutes of ranting that he decided to tune out but made sure to look in her direction to give the appearance of listening. When finally her lips stopped moving he took it as a sign that he was allowed to speak. “There was just a lot going on last night Kira with the gang being there and Stiles…” the name made his stomach clench. “I know it is no excuse and I should have called you or texted you or anything, but I am new to all this Kira. I am a loner so this whole obligation to others thing is foreign to me. If it comes down to it, I am just a loser that could not get the guy.” Kira rolled her eyes but it was not a mocking eye roll. “I know how crushes go and it sucks and its rough but it’s also high school. There are going to be plenty of guys out there and a few that might give you that same gut-punching feeling that I know Stiles gives you. You just have to make sure that you get past this because you might risk losing his friendship as well.” Alejandro simply nodded. There was another thing gnawing at him and he wanted to tell his best friend about the other major event of the night before. How would she handle the idea of werewolves? Would she even believe it if he tried explaining it to her? He still is trying to wrap his own mind around it so attempting to explain it to Kira was going to be doubly difficult. Kira seemed to pick up on this mental struggle in her friend and raised an eyebrow. “Al you are going to have to open up to me you know? You have been doing a great job of it until recently so maybe you should try it some more. You can tell me anything.” Alejandro knew that he could have kept it to himself and made up some lame story. He knew that it would take hours and a lot of explanation about a subject even he was not an expert in to try to get Kira on board. He also knew from the weird thrumming of his blood vessels that time was growing short before his first full-moon. He knew that he could sound completely insane and lose the first true friend he had made in this town. He knew all of this but he let out a sigh and began to ramble away.  
  
Approximately two hours and a countless number of “nuh-uhs” “no ways” “you’re shitting me” and “you are so twisted” later, Alejandro finished his story. Kira sat in silence stunned. He would not have blamed her if she decided to bolt for the mall entrance and left him there, but she didn’t. She sat in quiet contemplation and was digesting all the words that were just flung at her. Alejandro actually thought she was taking this whole supernatural saga quite well. Kira finally coughed and cleared her throat. “Wow that was not what I was expecting at all. Like, not even same ballpark, hell not even the same universe.” Kira kept staring at her friend as if he had two heads. Alejandro rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I haven’t turned into one yet if that’s what you are wondering. That happens tonight and I am scared shitless.” Kira’s gaze softened but then hardened once more. “So, Scott… and Isaac... the twins…Derek… Scott (again)?” Her voice trailed off as she repeated Scott’s name and Alejandro just nodded. He hated to blow all of their covers but he could not tell his story without dragging their names into it. He did however leave out the part where he and Scott got a little closer than ordinary when they were in Dr. Deaton’s basement the night before. “I’m dating a werewolf. I’m best friends with a werewolf. I hang out with werewolves.” Kira was taking it in slowly. “The others… they know? Stiles and Lydia… Allison?” Alejandro nodded again though even he was fuzzy on the details because he just got the story himself from Stiles as they had their heart to heart in the clearing following Peter’s bite. “They are known as a pack, Kira. Usually it’s just wolves but they have formed amazing bonds so its humans and wolves working together. I have never seen such love and acceptance in a group of people before. It makes me want to be part of it so bad.” Alejandro shut his eyes and let a tear fall because he really meant those words. He wanted to be part of this family, Scott’s pack, but he had no idea what would happen once he transformed. Kira waited for Alejandro to open his eyes again before offering a sweet smile. “Alejandro you big silly head, you are already part of this pack as you call it. They have accepted you wholeheartedly. When Scott and I would hang out (Alejandro rolled his eyes because he did not want to think what Kira’s definition of hanging out was) he would always bring you up and speak fondly about you. He really likes you and accepts you, flaws and all. I guess he’s that way with everyone. He speaks about Isaac in the same way too.” Alejandro felt warm inside because he felt relieved that Scott did like him with his goofy crooked smile and huge brown puppy dog eyes. Scott must feel obligated to protect the damaged ones he thought to himself thinking about how similar he and Isaac were in level of fucked-upness. Alejandro’s phone buzzed and he looked down to see it was from Stiles.  
  
STILES:  
Hey buddy. We are all starting to gather at Deaton’s house and we think we have a great plan! It’s going to be alright, you’ll see.  
  
Alejandro looked at his phone screen and felt comforted by the message. His heart still ached when reading the word “buddy.” He definitely had to get over that.  
  
ALEJANDRO:  
Thanks… papi. I just need to get Kira home real fast. Oh and she knows… everything. I kinda had to tell her. She’s cool with it I think. Is that ok?  
  
Alejandro sat and waited as his legs bounced nervously. It seemed to take forever but Stiles responded.  
  
STILES:  
Wow, I mean I guess that’s ok. I guess she and Scott have a lot of talking to do later. Actually after this is over I kind of need to talk to you too.  
  
Alejandro frowned at this but decided not to press it because he did not want to have a drawn out texting marathon.  
  
ALEJANDRO:  
Ok… I’ll see you at Dr. Deaton’s.  
  
“Hey Kira, wanna walk back to your house. I kinda have to be somewhere.” Kira smirked, “official wolf business?” “Are you gonna make me regret telling you all of this?” Alejandro asked with a slight smile. “Probably.” Kira replied. “Oh and tell Scott we have a lot to discuss too.” Alejandro cringed then sighed. “Ok fine, but try not to make him dislike me for telling on him.” The two friends walked back towards Kira’s house which was only ten minutes away from the mall. Alejandro silently laughed at how everything seemed to be walking distance in Beacon Hills. When they got to Kira’s house a woman that he never seen before was awaiting them at the door and Alejandro assumed this had to be Kira’s mom. She resembled an older Kira but still looked amazing for whatever age she was. She had an intense look as the two teens approached. “Mom, wow I did not think you were in town. Dad said you were still on business in Japan.” Alejandro shifted uncomfortably because this was the first time meeting his best friend’s mom and she did not seem at all enthused by her daughter walking home with a strange boy. “I flew back in to surprise you.” There was more awkward silences and sideways glances. Kira’s mom decided to speak up after realizing there was no further progress in their conversation. “Kira are you going to be rude or are you going to introduce me to your friend here?” Kira’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Right, well this is Alejandro. He’s my best friend and he’s just about to leave.” Alejandro decided to speak up, “It’s nice to meet you ma’am.” The expression on Kira’s mom’s face softened slightly but her eyes were still calculating, as if searching for something inside of Alejandro. “Call me Noshiko ma’am is so formal.” Noshiko Yukimura extended her hand out and Alejandro reached out to shake it. As their hands connected Alejandro could feel a weird energy but could not explain why. Kira’s mom did not change her expression but she felt the energy too. “Well, I better let you go about your day Alejandro. Thanks for walking my Kira home.” Alejandro released from their handshake and simply nodded. “Bye Kira, see you at school. Nice to meet you again ma… err Noshiko.” “Text me,” Kira said as she shuffled inside. Alejandro nodded again before turning to begin his walk towards Dr. Deaton’s house. As he was walking away he could not help but feel that Kira’s mom still had her eyes fixed upon him as he was leaving. Kira’s father approached the front door and stood by his wife’s side. “We have a problem,” Kira’s mom stated flatly. Kira’s dad gave one nod before handing her what appeared to be a thick encyclopedia. She quickly opened it to reveal that it had a cavity that held nine slots in which only three were occupied by black daggers. She grasped a few and snapped them in half. Kira’s father then took the book and closed it again. “Do you think he will be able to help us?” Noshiko kept her eyes on the continually shrinking figure moving farther away from their house. “Well I hope so. I hope his little crush won’t blind him from what has to be done. I will just have to make a convincing argument.”  
  
As Alejandro walked off alone he could not imagine what was bothering him about that brief meeting with Kira’s mom. He also could not decipher the weird energy pulse he felt when he shook her hand. “You are losing your mind with this supernatural crap,” he muttered to himself. The last rays of light seemed to fade real fast and Alejandro picked up his pace because he knew what was about to happen. He heard a weird sound and stopped in his tracks. The neighborhood seemed eerily quiet and empty. He looked around and saw nothing and continued on. After 30 more minutes he could see Dr. Deaton’s house and was approaching when he heard the odd sound again. It sounded like a weird electronic hissing sound and he could not place it. It seemed to come from all around. He decided to jog the last leg of his trip but was stopped in his place by what seemed to be black figures materializing out of thin air right in front of him. They looked like samurais but their bodies were constantly in flux as if made of smoke, or shadows. “What the fuck are you guys?” Alejandro’s voice was quivering. He went to yell for anyone but the shadow men were upon him and seemed to suck the air from his lungs. All of a sudden their eyes began to glow a fierce shade of yellow-green, similar to a firefly. Alejandro’s eyes went wider as he was frozen in place and the last thing he saw before passing out was what appeared to be Noshiko, dressed in a black trench coat and looking at him with equal parts malice and pity.  
  
“Where is he?” an anxious Scott paced back and forth as Isaac looked worriedly out the front window. Without removing his gaze Isaac asked, “Why aren’t we out there looking for him?” Derek was standing arms crossed in the corner of the parlor while Stiles was dialing and redialing on his cell phone. “He’s not picking up Scott.” Scott frowned and paced some more. He just got off the phone with Kira and was told that Alejandro had left to join the group over an hour ago. She did not mention her knowing about who and what her new friends were much to Stiles relief because they had enough to worry about with the sudden disappearance of Alejandro. “Maybe we should get the hunters to track him down,” a gruff Derek stated in his corner. Stiles shot him a disapproving look to which Derek just shrugged. “What, I don’t like the guy alright? And from tonight’s little disappearing act we should not trust him either.” Stiles quickly smacked him in the arm. Allison and her father were already there as well and both said in unison “not a good idea.” Chris Argent walked towards the center of the room and said to no one in particular, “we can’t get other hunters involved. If they knew about this pack and the relationship Allison and I have with it, things could get really ugly really quick. I could not guarantee anyone’s protection.” Isaac turned towards the group and more specifically towards Allison, but she did not notice. She was transfixed with Scott’s pacing and the feelings stung Isaac a little. He could sense her feelings of care and worry and an undercurrent of desire. Isaac knew he should be angrier that he always seemed to be an afterthought to her but he was surprisingly numb to it, as if it was not a big deal to him. He found it odd but pushed the thoughts out of his head as he began to worry about Alejandro once more. Isaac knew what it felt like to transform for the first time. The feelings of confusion and fright but also the feeling of power and clarity that intermingled and became an intoxicating cocktail but he also remembers the hunger. He shudders at remembering how he wanted to hunt and chase and feed. Stiles could have been a victim had Derek not intervened. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and saw it belonged to his Alpha, Scott. “You ok Isaac?” he barely whispered. Isaac looked into the big brown eyes of Scott and could see vulnerability there. Isaac’s blue eyes pierced Scott right back and the Alpha had to quickly blink to break up the intimate moment. “Yeah, I am just worried. It’s not like him to not respond.” Scott squeezed Isaac’s shoulder, “I know, but we will find him.” Allison watched this interaction carefully, unsure as to how she felt about it. It was normal for pack to be close and intimate as wolves bonded the same in nature so she ignored her misgivings. The moment was not unnoticed by Stiles either but he decided he’d ask about it later. Just then Dr. Deaton and the twins came barreling into the house. “We need to find him fast!” Dr. Deaton was looking haggard but resolute. “The twins think they picked his scent up a few hundred yards away but then it disappears. As if he just vanished into thin air.” Everyone in the room looked at the other perplexed. “Or he teleported!” Stiles exclaimed to the sound of a collective groan. Just then they heard a piercing scream that sounded like Lydia. Derek spoke up first. “It sounded like it came from the direction of Deaton’s clinic!” Scott barked out his orders. “Everyone get to the clinic fast! Stiles you still have the supplies in your jeep? The contingency plan?” Stiles nodded. “Ok everyone, let’s go fast!” The wolves instantly transformed and broke out in full sprint while the humans piled into a couple of vehicles and pursued. “I am going to call Danny and Melissa, we might need their medical expertise,” Deaton said as he rode with Stiles. Stiles gripped the steering wheel and drove as fast as he could and for the most infinitesimal of moments his face flashed into one of pure evil before reverting back to himself.  
  
When they arrived at the clinic, seemingly to all at the same time, they spotted Lydia in the middle of the empty parking lot staring at nothing in particular. “Lydia! Are you ok? What are you doing here!?” Allison called out running from her father’s SUV. Lydia was trembling and tears were falling from her eyes. As the pack began to surround her she answered Allison. “I – I don’t know how I got here. I just got in my car and drove. And I ended up here. Something bad is going to happen here.” The pack members all exchanged quick glances and Aiden went over to comfort the trembling red-head. She seemed to calm a little feeling the strength and warmth of the muscular werewolf’s embrace. Scott sniffed the air in hopes to pick up any sort of scent and the rest of the pack seemed to be doing the same. Derek scowl seemed to grow deeper as they all stood tensely in the parking lot. “This kid is more trouble than he’s worth.” Scott spun around and was face to face with the taller wolf. “Look I understand you do not like him Derek. It has been made abundantly clear. We on the other hand do like him and if you haven’t noticed the dirty looks my best friend Stiles has been giving you all night, he likes him too. So maybe you could lay off and pretend to care.” Derek just stood and stared stoically. Stiles just rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. “Men, I swear.” Isaac watched the tense exchange but did not interject. He’d been waging an internal struggle himself as of late and had more selfish reasons for his desire to find Alejandro. They both seemed to be kindred spirits and he knew Alejandro would be the perfect person to discuss anything with, even his innermost secrets. Isaac’s eyes glazed over again but a familiar image began to refocus his thoughts. He was looking at the warm and open brown eyes of Scott, who was looking at his Beta with a little concern. Scott raised an eyebrow inquisitively silently asking Isaac if he was ok. Isaac quickly produced a half-hearted smile and nod to assuage Scott. Scott let it go for the moment but Isaac knew he would bring it up in the future. Scott was like an elephant; he never forgot things.  
  
So there they all stood: Scott, Isaac, Allison, Chris Argent, Stiles, Derek, Ethan, Aiden, Lydia and Dr. Deaton. Melissa McCall and Danny were en route but everyone knew one thing. It was past midnight and the full-moon was at its’ zenith. “I feel stupid just waiting here! Lydia are you sure that your... um... powers are working correctly?” Derek was sounding grumpier by the minute. Lydia had calmed down considerably and now had that familiar look of superiority that everyone had grown to know and love. “Well Derek, considering I really haven’t been wrong before... like ever... then I would gather it is safe to say that yes, my abilities are working correctly.” Derek just let out a sigh and held Stiles a little closer to himself. Stiles, though annoyed at the big brute, welcomed the contact and melted into the muscular arms. Isaac just shook his head and Stiles gave him a “what?” look. Scott finally worked his way towards the center of his pack to hopefully give some sort of reassuring pep talk. “Guys I know this is annoying and I know we have no idea what we are dealing with. I really appreciate you all being here for me, for Alejandro, for this pack. We have had to deal with a lot in such a short period of time and this is just another one of those things. Whatever we are facing, whatever Alejandro is turning into and wherever he is, we will deal with it together, as a pack. We might be naïve but I know with every fiber of my being that as long as we stick together, nothing can defeat us. We will not be beaten.” Scott’s gaze floated from one member to the other as he spoke, and everyone could see the quiet strength in his eyes. Scott was really beginning to grow into his role as Alpha and the authority exuding from his being was so strong that one could almost touch it like it was a tangible thing. Isaac could not help but plaster a smile that indicated he was proud of his Alpha and Scott saw this and returned one right back. There moment was suddenly broken by Kira running up to the group out of nowhere. “Scott!” The Alpha turned to see the girl he was dating sprinting towards them with a sword in her hands. “Kira, why do you have a sword, and what are you doing here?” Scott was clearly confused and his scrunched up eyebrows were indicating this. Kira was breathless, “I just found out some things about myself tonight… well I overheard things about me. Ok I was eavesdropping on my mother talking to my father and… and… Scott there is so much more going on here than I could have imagined! I mean first I find out that you guys are werewolves…” Scott let out a loud exhale when he heard this. “You found out what!?” Kira stopped short and opened her eyes wide. The other wolves were at alert as well, having no idea what to do with this information. Stiles remained uncharacteristically calm and stared at Kira with cold calculation. He already knew that Kira knew, Alejandro had texted him as much earlier. Derek noticed the weird shift in stature as he was standing the closest to Stiles. It puzzled the wolf but he decided the news of Kira discovering their secret was the more pressing issue.  
  
“Look, Alejandro filled me in today when we hung out. Don’t look at me like that Scott, and don’t be mad at him. He had to tell me, I could see it was gnawing away at him. I’m his best friend… and it doesn’t matter. I don’t care! I won’t look at you any differently, I promise!” Scott let out a low growl but remained calm. “So what other things have you discovered? You mentioned overhearing your parents?” Kira gulped and nodded. “Scott, apparently you guys aren’t the only supernatural thing…” Before Kira could finish the sound of her mom appeared out of thin air. “KIRA NO! OUR FAMILY SECRET IS OURS ALONE. YOU MUST NOT SHARE IT! YOU ARE NOT READY!” The pack began turning every which way to find the source of the voice. The wolves had all shifted while the Argents had weapons already drawn. Kira was taken aback by the transformation but quickly shook it away. Stiles approached Scott and stood between the Alpha and Kira. “Ok Buddy, so what’s our plan? I am starting to freak out here.” Scott squeezed his best friend’s shoulder to reassure him. Just then, literally out of thin air, the group was surrounded by what appeared to be men in samurai costumes. Except everyone noticed that the dark figures bodies were not completely solid, as if they were made of black smoke. “What the fuck are these guys!” Isaac yelled in exasperation. Almost instinctively the pack made a circle to protect the humans, meaning Stiles and Kira, as they all faced outwards like a herd protecting their young. “Scott, what are we gonna do?” A worried Stiles asked Scott from somewhere behind the Alpha. Scott’s eyes began to glow red. Chris Argent glared at the shadowy figures menacingly. “Scott, these things are known as the Oni and you can think of these things as demon bodyguards. I encountered these things in the past.” Scott replied without ever taking his eyes off the one Oni in front of him. “How do we beat them?” Chris took a few minutes to respond. “You can’t Scott.” Allison quickly glanced at her father with her ever growing eyes. “Dad, there must be a way! There is always a way!” Chris squeezed his eyes shut for a split second. “Allison, I wish there was. I only escaped these monsters by luck last time I encountered them. I do know that their only mission is to seek out those that are no longer themselves.”  
  
Just then Kira’s mom walked into view from behind a tree. “Very good Hunter. I see you are well versed in the Oni and the noble purpose of their existence.” Derek scoffed. “Noble!? Surrounding a group of teenagers is your idea of noble?” Noshiko let out a small smile. “Derek Hale. We know you have not been a teenager for a long, long time. Stiles’ raised his eyebrow and glanced at Derek before turning back to the older woman. “The Oni are not here to harm anyone. However there is someone here that is not as they seem.” Derek took the opportunity to speak once more. “The only one that is not who they seem is gone and we have been looking for him. Maybe you could get your little henchmen to scout him out and help us find him before he hurts anyone.” There was a rustle of leaves and then a figure appeared besides Noshiko. He looked more muscular and menacing than when the group last saw him and he had evidently learned how to control his shift. Isaac’s breath hitched taking stock of the person standing next to the mysterious woman that so far has shown herself to be their enemy. Scott let out a growl as his eyes seemed to grow even more red. “They don’t have to look for me Derek, I am right here.” Alejandro’s voice dripped with venom and his eyes glowed orange. Scott let out a growl. “Are you working with these—these things!? We were worried about you!” Alejandro took a few steps forward and was now in full view. Isaac was now able to get a better view of his friend, or former friend, at the moment he was not so sure. The shift had given Alejandro almost six-inches of height and more muscle mass than when Isaac last saw him. This was reflected in the way Alejandro’s clothing strained to keep in the new found girth and there were rips here and there in his pants and shirt. His facial features seemed not as altered as some other shifts, similar to the way Scott retained most of his human features. “Scott, these things as you call them are here to eradicate a threat to you, me, to frankly everyone in this town. Trust me and let them complete their task. Noshiko here, she’s filled me in on so much stuff we don’t know about. Ask Deaton Scott, he knows the Oni only seek to correct an imbalance and nothing more.” Scott’s face remained statuesque. Alejandro continued on. “One of you are not who you seem to be, not anymore. There’s something inside one of you that is dangerous and it feeds on chaos, strife and pain. It is probably growing stronger as we speak. We have to let the Oni inspect you all so we can identify the threat Scott. It’s the only way!” Scott shook his head. “You’re lying! If anyone in my pack was different, I would have sniffed it out. I don’t know what game you are playing at but there is no way I would ever trust you nor will I let these monsters get anywhere near my pack.” Noshiko took a spot next to Alejandro. “Listen to him Scott, there are forces here you know nothing about. The entity we seek is called a Nogitsune; it’s a dark trickster spirit. It was released from its captivity when the Nematon was disturbed… disturbed by your pack.” Scott looked confused so Noshiko quickly continued. “When you sacrificed yourselves, your energy reawakened the Nematon. It is no accident why this place is called Beacon Hills! The Nematon is one powerful beacon and when you allowed it to wake up you invited a lot of forces, powerful forces to come to this place.” Scott let out another growl. “We already knew this; Dr. Deaton informed us when we decided to rescue our parents. The question is are you going to leave peacefully or are we going to have to show you what my pack can do?” Noshiko shook her head. “Very well Scott. I was hoping it would not have to come to this but I cannot let the Nogitsune escape my grasp again. Kira, come this way, you do not need to be in the middle of this.” Kira sized up her mom. “No! These are my friends and I am staying!” “Kira! Stop being foolish child! Get out of the way and get back to the house. NOW!” Kira unsheathed the sword she was holding and crouched into a pouncing position. Scott was unaware she even knew how to wield a sword and as much as he welcomed an extra body to fight on their side he did not want to risk her life. “Kira, please listen to her, get out of here. This is not your fight.” Kira hesitated and began to stand upright again. It looked as if she would leave peacefully but as she approached the Oni directly in front of Scott she took a swift but mighty swing and connected with the shadow figure. Her sword blade passed through the Oni entirely. Kira’s eyes widened as she took a step backwards. “Kira! What have you done?!” Noshiko called out but knew her daughter’s act of aggression would set the Oni off and on cue the six Oni simultaneously produced swords from the depths of their torso. The pack sprang into attack and defense modes as all at once all hell broke loose. Wolf claws and katana blades collided violently producing sparks as the Argents took up tactical positions and began unloading carefully aimed shots from their respective weapons. Lydia ran off towards Stiles’ jeep to see if he remembered to pack the ingredients she requested. There were a dozen glass bottles and shreds of cloth in his trunk alongside various vials of liquids. Lydia sighed contentedly and began mixing ingredients with swift purpose. Alejandro had entered the fray as well though unsure what to do because these were in all respects his friends but he knew there was a danger lurking beneath the surface of one of them. He stepped within the circle of combatants and was met face to face by Kira. “Alejandro…. Please stop this madness…” she hissed but kept her sword firmly in front of her. “Kira, I don’t want to hurt you. You need to get out of here please! My adrenaline is kicking up and I don’t know if I can control myself.” Alejandro heard a slight whimper somewhere to his right and jerked his head to see that Isaac was on the receiving end of a glancing blow by one of the Oni swords. All of a sudden he heard a scream behind him and as he turned saw Kira’s body flying through the air and into the woods. Scott saw this as well and screamed “Nooooooo Kira!!!!!” Alejandro whipped his head around confused. He did not see what could have flung her body with such ease. “Scott! It was Alejandro! He attacked her and threw her! OMG Scott he just threw her!” Alejandro turned to see it was Stiles that just accused him of harming his own best friend. Alejandro was flabbergasted. “Wha-what! It wasn’t me...” was all Alejandro could get out of his mouth before the irate Alpha had barreled into him.  
  
The force of the impact caused both wolves to fall to the pavement and roll. All the while both combatants slashed and tore into the other with scary ferocity. Noshiko was so distracted by the fighting that she did not see who attacked her daughter but knew it could have been Alejandro. She looked at the melee in front of her with worry as the wolves were fighting a losing battle. Every single one seemed to be fighting with ragged desperation as all of them suffered cuts, nicks and bruises from the Oni. Noshiko glanced one more time at the fray before deciding to find her daughter and make sure she was ok. As the fighting waged on Lydia had resurfaced from the jeep with her arsenal of Molotov cocktails in hand. “Hey you creeps! Eat some of this!” She flung a bottle towards the closest Oni whom was single handedly taking on both twins. The bottle smashed onto the pavement in front of the Oni and erupted in a brilliant and dazzling flame. The Oni seemed momentarily dazed by the light before regrouping once the fire burned down lower. “They don’t like lights! Allison, Chris, they don’t like lights!” Lydia called out to her human friends who were still expending bullets and arrows. Allison understood at once and rummaged through her pouch to produce some heavy cylindrical arrowheads. She screwed one into the end of an arrow and launched it with such swift precision. Chris was momentarily proud of the fluid movements of his daughter as she launched the light pulsing arrow towards the Oni slashing into Isaac. When the arrow connected to the ground it began to send out ultra-bright light pulses. The Oni staggered and swung its sword wildly as if blinded by the light. Isaac launched his body forward and slashed at the only thing on the Oni that looked tangible, its mask. His claws connected with the metal mask and managed to knock it loose. Isaac was now looking into a mass of nothingness. “Holy hell… there’s nothing but shadow! How do we beat something that we can’t touch?!” Isaac’s voice sounded frail and he seemed to be mentally shutting down again, the way he used to all those years his body had to endure the daily beatings inflicted upon him by his abusive father. The Oni swung its fist and landed a punch to Isaac’s jaw that sent him sprawling backwards. Derek saw this and ran towards his former Beta covering his injured body protectively. Derek scanned the crowd to see where Stiles was and let out a sigh of relief to see him hiding behind the open door of his jeep. If Derek would have looked closer he would have seen the slight smirk on his face.  
  
Scott and Alejandro had rolled all the way into the forest’s edge. When the momentum finally subsided both Scott and Alejandro lay on their backs panting and nursing horrible wounds. “Scott… come on we need to stop this.” “NEVER,” Scott growled as he staggered to his feet again. “HOW COULD YOU EVEN ATTEMPT TO ASK ANYTHING OF ME AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO KIRA?!” “SCOTT, I SWEAR I DID NOT TOUCH HER!” Scott growled and launched his body forward to attack Alejandro once more as he was able to regain his footing as well. Alejandro was able to anticipate this move and turned sideways catching Scott in midair and using his own momentum to throw him into the nearest tree trunk. Scott smashed into it with a sickening crack and he knew that he may have shattered ribs. Alejandro wanted to check on Scott but knew that in his current Alpha state there would be no negotiating. With great reluctance he turned back towards the vet clinic parking lot and spotted a grinning Stiles huddled next to his jeep. “You son of a bitch! It’s YOU!” Alejandro launched fully into Stiles and was able to catch him off guard slamming both their bodies into the jeep. Stiles let out a cry of pain that Derek heard. “Stiles!!” Derek went to run towards the jeep where he could see Alejandro pummeling him. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Derek was almost to where Stiles was when another Oni came from nowhere and stabbed Derek through his left shoulder. Derek let out a guttural roar as the blade skewered him. At his point Danny and Melissa McCall arrived in her car and began to witness the carnage. “Oh my god!! Call the Sheriff Danny fast!” Melissa got out of the car and her eyes began to well up. There in front of her were her boys, all of her boys, bloodied and bruised. “Sheriff is on his way Miss McCall!” Melissa decided to pull herself together and reach into the car to pull out her bag of medical supplies. “Danny, we have work to do. Let’s figure out a way to get closer to our boys!” Danny nodded. His boyfriend was out there getting hurt and there was no way in hell he was going to allow that.  
  
Alejandro kept up his assault on Stiles however making sure to only used closed fists because he could not bring himself to tear into the guy he just confessed his attraction to even if he was being possessed by a dark entity. Alejandro was unsure what he was to do at this point. He could not keep on pummeling Stiles but Noshiko ensured him that Scott and his pack would have submitted willingly to the Oni. He hesitated and inspected what he had done seeing the welts and bruises forming on Stiles face. He saw the busted lip and the blood draining from the nose he always thought was cute as a button. Alejandro began to lose his resolve as tears began to flow out his eyes. Just then another body tackled him off of an unconscious Stiles and he realized it was Scott, having healed enough to counterattack. Scott began clawing and slashing with intensity that even Alejandro could not fathom. Scott was not going to stop until Alejandro was dead. “Scott! We need to get Stiles inside fast! He’s hurt bad! The Sheriff is on his way with every available deputy!” Scott turned his head towards the door of the vet clinic to see his mom and Danny peeking out. He landed a few more ferocious punches and left the panting and battered Alejandro on the ground. He crawled over to Stiles and carefully cradled his friend like a newborn baby and quickly carried him into the vet where his mom and Danny were waiting with medical supplies on the ready. “Scott, my baby boy, you are hurt too!” “Mom, I’ll heal. Help Stiles first.” Melissa nodded and began working over her son’s best friend and in a way, her other son. Melissa frowned. “Scott I mean I know he looks real bad, but his injuries are superficial. Alejandro didn’t seem to really want to hurt him.” Scott glared at his mom. “He was going to kill him mom, do not defend that monster!” “Ok, ok, ok calm down Scott. It’s your mother here. Please stop yelling.” Scott let out a sigh. “Sorry mom. He’s my best friend. Please just, do something.” After a few more bandages and some medicinal ointments she sighed. “Best I can do for now kiddo. We have to get him to the hospital soon.” Scott nodded and looked at his best friend with protective affection. Just then they heard Aiden screaming from outside. “Doc! Anyone! Ethan is hurt bad!” Melissa steeled herself and prepared to go outside. “MOM NO! YOU STAY IN HERE!” Melissa squared around and stared into her son’s red eyes. “Scott McCall I know this is your pack but I am your mother. This makes me your Alpha. I am also a healer and it’s my DUTY to make sure those boys out there get medical attention. And believe me Scott, hell hath no fury like a Mama McCall scorned!” Scott’s toothy mouth hung open slightly before letting a slight grin escape his mouth. His mom was his pillar of strength and he knew that she could fend for herself in a way the only single mothers were aware. He nodded and told Danny to go with her to be her backup. Danny nodded and the two crouched low and headed out the front doors to seek out Aiden and Ethan. Scott gently picked up Stiles and took him to the adjoining examining room. As he cradled his best friend in one hand letting Stiles soft fuzzy head rest in the crook of his neck he grabbed as many spare blankets and towels he could with the other. He made a makeshift next on the floor and placed Stiles gently within it. He then took the stainless steel rolling metal table and flipped it onto its side to create a barrier. He knew it was not much but it was better than nothing. He raised himself into a low crouch and waited protectively listening to the battle still going on outside.  
  
Derek had stumbled to his feet and staggered towards a body lying on the ground. The pack was getting battered but they were making headway against the Oni. Allison’s light pulsing arrows were being launched strategically in a way to create a porous barrier around their group while Lydia was flinging her Molotov cocktails to keep the Oni at bay as they tried approaching Allison. Chris Argent was using what could be described as an electrified chain-whip to batter the face masks of Oni that were in his vicinity. Derek cringed slightly having remembered the run-ins with other Hunters that used the same weapon on him. He shook that thought from his mind and continued towards the body groaning on the ground as his eyes glowed yellow. Alejandro was attempting to recover from the beating Scott had inflicted upon him and his healing ability was still on the slower side. “You son of a bitch. You are going to pay for ever showing up to our town, for thinking that this pack would ever accept you, that STILES WOULD EVER LOVE YOU! I am going to end you!” Derek’s voice was rough and Alejandro knew he meant every word he said. He winced at the mention of Stiles and remembered the awful beating he had inflicted on the skinny boy earlier. “Derek, I know you will never believe me, but I was only trying to—to help! Stiles…” Derek growled in anger. “YOU NEVER MENTION HIS NAME! HIS NAM EIS TOO GOOD TO EVEN COME OUT OF THAT EVIL MOUTH OF YOURS! KILLING YOU WILL GIVE ME ALL THE PLEASURE IN THE WORLD!” Alejandro got to his feet and sneered. There was no reasoning with this brutish werewolf in front of him. Derek was a Beta but Alejandro knew he used to be an Alpha and his filled out muscular body was larger than every other Beta in Scott’s pack. He made Alejandro looked small in comparison. “Very well Derek, don’t say I never warned you.” Alejandro let out a loud growl and let his eyes grow a bright orange, like freshly erupted molten lava. Anyone would have marveled at the intensity of its’ glow. Alejandro’s adrenaline kicked into full gear and his one only thought was to eliminate the threat. Alejandro went to swipe but Isaac materialized out of nowhere. “Alejandro NO! STOP!” It was too late however as Alejandro’s claws were already in full motion but instead of connecting with Derek his claws landed squarely onto Isaac and Isaac let out a loud whelp as his body flew a few feet in the air and landed on the hard concrete. Alejandro’s eyes widened as he snapped his head to see where Isaac had landed. Derek took this moment of distraction to take the offensive and he crashed into Alejandro like a cannonball and began ripping into him with a fury that almost rivaled Scott’s. Alejandro was momentarily stunned because his mind just kept spinning about having hurt Isaac. He finally collected his thoughts and began to defend himself and his life. Luckily Derek was all brute strength and no strategy so Alejandro was able to nimbly latch onto one of Derek’s powerful arms and dig his claws in. Derek let out a growl before swiping at Alejandro with his free arm. Alejandro ducked and let the free arm swing over his head before springing back up and pinning Derek in a way that made it look like the Beta was hugging himself. Alejandro let his other claw dig into Derek’s opposite shoulder and Derek let out a howl of pain. Alejandro then crashed his head forward connecting with the bridge of Derek’s nose with his forehead. This dazed Derek and Alejandro used this as an opportunity to lift the bigger Beta and fling him with all his might towards the entrance of the vet clinic. Had he flung him sooner he would have connected with the bodies of Melissa, Danny and Dr. Deaton like a sick game of bowling but the three had exited the building and were making their way to towards the rest of the pack to administer any first aid they could. Derek flew through the glass and metal of the front entrance and landed with a sickening thud against the concrete walls, creating a massive dent and spider cracks. He was out cold. Alejandro nursed one of his wounds and looked around to see the three healers working over Isaac. He looked with great guilt as Melissa stared at him with a mixture of anger and pity. Alejandro mouthed an exaggerated sorry and Melissa just turned back towards Isaac. He approached the now gaping opening of the vet clinic and crunched onto the shattered glass. He gave Derek a once over to make sure he was alive feeling relieved. Adrenaline forced him to retaliate but he didn’t want to kill the Beta. He heard low growls to his right and turned towards the next room to see the bright glowing eyes of Scott.  
  
PRESENT TIME  
  
The two wolves continued their stare down, both unmoving, both full of tension like a spring ready to uncoil. Just then they heard a snicker and both were momentarily confused. It was coming from Stiles who was now fully on his feet and clapping condescendingly. “Very good show, both of you, I mean it. I could live off of this for months!” Alejandro growled but Scott looked at his friend with confusion. His wounds seemed to have mostly healed and he was smiling in a way that was more wicked than endearing. “Ahhh Scotty boy. You look so confused. You know you should really listen to other people sometimes, even if they are annoying charity cases that we accept into our fold because we are such gosh darned nice people.” Somewhere deep inside Alejandro his stomach twisted and his chest got tighter. He knew this was not Stiles talking but the impact of the words coming out of the boy he crushed on, in the voice of the boy he had a crush on and with such a coldness that bordered on truth, he sucked in air to avoid letting out a whimper. Stiles picked up on this immediately and laughed. “Hahahah oh did I hurt Mr. Wolfy’s feewings??” The ridiculous baby talk was beginning to infuriate Alejandro but he just stood his ground. “You were always a charity case! None of us really liked you! You were just some social project for us! We were seeing if we could turn a loser like you into somewhat of a decent human being and look we were wrong! Now you are an OMEGA! A loner and a loser! Those Hunters outside are going to tear you limb from limb once they get a hold of you, and you know what! I am going to enjoy it and feed off of your misery until there are no more feelings left!” Alejandro shrunk back defensively. Stiles words were battering him in more ways than Scott or Derek’s claws never could. Scott finally spoke up shaking himself from his bewilderment. “Stiles, wha-why are you saying these things. It’s not true. Alejandro it’s not true.” Scott’s anger had subsided and now he could see the true hurt in Alejandro’s eyes and it reminded him of the many times he saw the same hurt in Isaac’s eyes as he had nightmare after nightmare of the abuse he suffered. “Aww how touching Scotty boy! You defending loser wolf now? I shouldn’t be surprised; you are always defending the losers. Like accepting that broken boy Isaac into our pack; he’s been like dead weight. And then the twins, great plan big guy, let’s take in two former murderous Alphas. You are so stupid Scotty. You don’t think they don’t thirst for your power?? They are biding their time until they can turn on you and take it!” “STOP IT! STOP TALKING!” Scott’s head hurt and he was beyond confused why his best friend was speaking with such malice. It was not making sense. Stiles appeared in front of Scott and smiled wickedly. “Aww Scotty, you are just so sensitive! Well I hope you don’t get mad when I tell you this little secret: I FLUNG KIRA INTO THOSE WOODS… AND I COULD FEEL HER PAIN AND ANGUISH… IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!” Scott’s eyes widened as he felt the sharp sting of a blade impaling his stomach. Stiles had somehow gotten hold of Kira’s katana blade and was now twisting it deeper into the torso of Scott. The pain was overwhelming and Stiles seemed to revel in it. “Yes that’s it Scotty boy! Let me have all that pain!” Stiles hands grabbed hold of Scott’s right wrist and he began absorbing all of the pain, stress and misery. Black spider veins began coursing on Stiles forearms and replicated itself on Scott’s as Stiles began absorbing the negative energies. It was also draining Scott’s regular energies as well and his body began giving out. Stiles just leered enjoying the power he was absorbing into his body. Alejandro watched in horror before snapping back into the present and began advancing towards Stiles in attempts to break Scott free of the sick bond. Stiles’ head snapped towards the advancing werewolf and he extended his free arm, palms out towards Alejandro. It was as if he shot out an invisible blast from his palm and it rammed Alejandro with the force of a freight train, knocking the werewolf clean backwards across the room and into the opposite wall. Stiles smiled and turned his attention back to Scott. “See Scott, you should never trust a fox, we are swift and we are agile, but most of all we are intelligent beyond any of your disgusting pack of wolves.” Scott was battling consciousness but was able to mutter out: “I hate foxes.” “Tsk, tsk Scotty boy. That’s not nice. You must be somewhat fond of foxes Scotty; I mean you are DATING one.” Scott’s eyes widened and his mind remembered the earlier events of the night when Kira showed up and was trying to tell him about the things she overheard from her parents. Stiles saw the realization in the Alpha’s eyes. “Ding, ding, ding. The lights are finally on! It’s a clear day Scotty, time to land.” When Stiles had his fill he laughed and Scott slumped down onto the clinic floor. Stiles gave another devious grin before stating, “Now if you excuse me Scotty, there are some things I need to take care of outside.” Scott was too weak to get back to his feet and the sword was still impaling him. He feebly tried to grab hold of Stiles leg but the paler boy just kicked the Alpha’s hands away. He passed the crumpled bodies of Alejandro and then Derek. He paused looking at Derek’s unconscious body and something stirred deep within him for the slimmest of moments, some emotion that was fighting to break free of the Nogitsune’s hold. It never came close as Stiles’ eyes glazed over and he continued out the front door.


	7. Repairing Bridges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos ensues this chapter as we say goodbye to one of our pack members. In the aftermath our pack must figure out a way to begin to heal the gaping wound of their loss. Bonds become stronger and rivals begin the long and arduous process of thawing their tensions. We also get more insight into the newest and most perilous foe the pack has faced yet!

Stiles walked towards the battle ensuing outside with a blank face. He saw Melissa, Danny and Deaton desperately attempting to mend Isaac and Ethan while Aiden, Lydia, and the Argents were desperately fending off the Oni with a mixture of sophisticated weaponry and Lydia’s Molotov cocktails. Stiles face scrunched in slight confusion as he counted only four Oni when there used to be six. It turned out that Allison had discovered that the light pulsing arrows effectively slowed the Oni down and then discovered that her silver-tip arrows, if aimed directly at an Oni’s heart region, would effectively kill them. The new problem that presented itself was now the Oni were aware that their weakness was discovered and were more skillful in dodging attacks aimed at their fatal flaw. Chris Argent began loading up on silver bullets as Allison’s supply of silver-tip arrows was running low and he threw a clip towards his daughter which she caught with deftness. She was becoming an amazing and skilled fighter and archer and Chris was so proud of her despite their dire situation. He smiled at Allison and she returned it before they both resumed their assault against the Oni.  
Melissa looked up and caught sight of Stiles staring at all of them eerily. “Stiles!... get over here! Are you ok!? Where’s Scott!?” Stiles smirked and walked towards the center of the fighting, between the pack and the Oni. “Stiles! What are you doing!?” Melissa was puzzled by this and it seemed the other members of the pack (the ones whom were not too engaged in combat) were also focusing in on the commotion. Danny noticed there was something strangely attractive about the confidence Stiles was conveying despite the chaos going on around him. “Dude, you ok? If so we could use some extra hands over here.” Stiles just continued to stare at the battling groups without any words. Sirens could be heard in the distance as Sheriff Stilinski and the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department (with Agent McCall in tow) was quickly approaching. Isaac and Ethan’s healing abilities were also kicking into gear and they both sat up groggily. Lydia saw the two boys coming to and smiled with tears in her eyes. “You guys ok?” Isaac gave her a thumbs up and a sly grin while Ethan was too busy getting hugged by Danny to respond. “How much longer do we have to fight these things?” growled an angry Aiden. Chris Argent knew that the Oni would disappear with the morning light but worried that this strange scene would not be looked upon favorably by the all too human sheriff and his deputies. Allison connected with a silver bullet to the heart of another Oni and Isaac looked over to her triumphantly. She caught his smile and smirked back at him. She really was beautiful he thought and the warmth in her eyes made him believe she thought the same of him. Maybe they wouldn’t drift apart after all.  
MEANWHILE IN DR. DEATON’S EXAMINING ROOM  
Scott groaned from the pain of the katana blade impaling his torso. He tried to remove it but it would not budge; he needed more leverage. He grimaced and looked over to see Alejandro was shaking the cobwebs loose from his impact with the wall. Their eyes met again but this time there was no hint of malice or anger; Alejandro looked remorseful and Scott’s look of disbelief was all the sorry Alejandro needed. “Scott… I…I…,” Alejandro’s voice cracked and was threatening a full-scale breakdown. Scott seemed to sense this and calmly talked the other wolf down off the ledge. “Alejandro, don’t… its ok.. We’re ok.” Scott sighed and winced. Alejandro noticed the sword still lodged into Scott and gingerly crawled his way over to the Alpha. “Le-Let me help, can you stand?” Scott slowly tried to raise himself from the ground, pushing off with his hands. Alejandro had gotten to his feet and was there to steady a swaying Scott. “Ok man, this is gonna hurt like hell, brace yourself.” Scott grabbed hold of the overturned examining table and started breathing hard to keep himself calm. Alejandro grabbed the hilt of the katana and began to slowly ease it back out of Scott’s abdomen. As the blade slithered out Alejandro had to compose himself at the sickening sight of blood and the squishy sensation of it. “Almost there Scott.” With a final tug the blade was completely removed and Scott clutched at his wound. “I-I’m gonna look around for something to cover that with. Stay standing.” Alejandro rushed around the room and noted he could have used some of the rags and material that was Stiles’ nest but refused, not wanting to contaminate Scott with evil. He found some spare towels in a cupboard and rushed back to his friend. “Here, press this hard against your wound. I am gonna put another one on your back and use this tape to secure it, ok?” Scott nodded. After the wounds were covered and secured, they both turned their attention to Derek who was still knocked out. “Damn, Alejandro, how much force did you use?” Alejandro semi-smirked but knew it wasn’t a laughing matter so he simply shrugged and they both lowered themselves to get a closer look at Derek. He was breathing which was a good sign. “Scott, does Dr. Deaton have like smelling salts or something?” Scott remembered there was some in a first aid kit in the front counter and hobbled over to retrieve it. “Found it,” he stated as he handed Alejandro what looked like a tampon. Alejandro snapped the stick in half and wafted it underneath Derek’s nose. Immediately Derek came to with a startled start and upon seeing Alejandro growled with yellow glowing eyes and made to spring an attack. Scott used all his might to keep a confused Derek pinned to the ground by his shoulders. “Scott, what the fuck!? You helping him now!?” “Derek, we were wrong. Alejandro was telling us the truth; there is someone in our group that is possessed or something… and it’s… it’s Stiles man.” Derek’s eyes sharpened and he let out another growl. “LIAR! What are you even saying?? Innocent, defenseless Stiles? Possessed?” Derek tried getting up again but Scott had him secured. “DEREK LISTEN TO ME! I’M NOT LYING! LISTEN TO MY HEARTBEAT!” Derek keened his ears to the rhythmic sound of Scott’s heart and saw he was telling the truth. He looked back over to Alejandro but did not say anything else, but his body was visibly more at ease. Scott loosened his grip on Derek’s shoulder and slumped back. “So where is he then… where is Stiles?” Scott was about to answer when the sound of Lydia’s piercing wail filled the entire room. “ALLISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The three wolves quickly got up forgetting all of their pain and bruises and ran as fast as they could outside. When they saw the scene Scott’s knees almost gave out.  
The Oni were gone and so was Stiles but lying on the pavement surrounded by everyone else was Allison, with an Oni blade piercing her heart. The other teenagers were wracked with sorrow as Aiden had to half hug/half calm down Lydia as she tried to desperately get to her best friend. Danny was sobbing uncontrollably while Ethan protectively consoled him. Deaton and Melissa McCall were down next to Allison trying everything to figure out how to fix the problem. Chris Argent was standing over the scene; his pristine blue eyes were in shock and it looked like he was processing a catalog of emotions ranging from grief to anger to abiding by the Code. Scott rushed over to his mom and Deaton and cradled Allison as she was gasping for air; her lungs filling with fluid fast. Scott quickly grabbed her hand to try to take some of the pain but found he was unable to. “Allison, I—I’m trying to take the pain, but I can’t!” Allison looked up at her ex with loving eyes that were watering up and spoke, with a trickle of blood coming out of her mouth. “It’s because it doesn’t hurt.” Scott began heaving and gasping and his emotions were starting to choke every breath out of him. He could not lose this girl; she was too important to everyone and she was his first everything. His face started contorting with grief and he tried to speak but his words were strangled. Allison gently placed a hand on his crooked jawline and smiled. “Shhh—shhh.. No, no, no. This is perfect, can’t you see that Scott McCall? I’m in the arms of my first love, the man I have always loved… Scott I love you.” Tears were streaming out of Allison’s delicate brown eyes. Their entire courtship, romance and eventual breakup played out in both their eyes. Scott felt like he was going into an asthma attack but he dared not let go of his former girlfriend. “Allison.. Nooo.. Nooo don’t…. don’t leave me. Allison…” With one last smile and gasp of air she was gone, her hand falling away softly and slowly. Scott’s eyes scrunched closed and tears began to gush down his face as his whole body began to tremble like an earthquake. Melissa placed a hand on her son’s shoulder and laid her head against the crook of his neck. Scott cuddled into the mass of soft, curly hair and he cried a torrent of tears; tears he had been repressing since the day she decided to call their complicated relationship off. As the other’s looked on no one said a thing, not wanting to intrude on this moment. Alejandro had made his way next to Isaac and had wrapped the tall, curly haired blond into his embrace. As Allison’s last gasps were happening in Scott’s arms he had been frozen with shock and overwhelming sadness. Alejandro spotted this right away and grabbed his friend tight; just being there for him. Isaac latched onto one of Alejandro’s shirt sleeves and began twisting it in grief as he pressed the side of his head to Alejandro’s chest, crying silently. Derek even let a tear roll out of his eye, the first tear he ever shed since his family was burned alive. The sirens were just around the corner and Chris Argent stooped down next to Scott and Melissa. “Listen… this is going to sound incredibly selfish and it is not going to make sense, but we Argents have lived by the Code for as long as we have existed. Scott I know this is a tragedy beyond anything you could comprehend. I want you to know that what Allison said goes for me now too. I love you like a son.” Scott stopped heaving to look at the elder Argent. Chris continued. “When the Sheriff arrives, you can’t tell him anything. Promise me Scott. If he asks, just say it happened so fast. I’ll tell the others as well. Promise me Scott.” Scott nodded in disbelief. “H-h-how can you be so calm sir? You just lost your one and only daughter; your only child.” Chris’s eyes were glistening but he did not let a tear out. “Scott, this is how our family has survived. We just, move on.” Chris gave another sad look towards Scott and rushed to tell the others what to say when interrogated.  
Sheriff Stilinski had no idea what he would be driving into but nothing could prepare him for what he saw. There were the teenagers that his son would always hang around with; some that were on his lacrosse team, all with varying degrees of scrapes and bruises and with sad downtrodden eyes. Derek Hale was there too along with a Latino teenager that Sheriff recalled was one of his son’s newest friends. He saw Dr. Deaton, Beacon Hill’s veterinarian looking exhausted; his clinic looked like a freight train had driven through its’ front entrance. He also saw Chris Argent and Melissa McCall, both staring down at Scott McCall who was kneeling beside whom appeared to be Allison, except there was something wrong. It took him a few moments to realize that there was a pool of blood around her body and her skin looked delicate and white, as if all the blood had drained from her. She looked asleep but the Sheriff knew better and he rushed out of his vehicle towards the group. “OMG, what happened!? Is anyone else hurt? Parrish call the ambulance now! Call a lot of ambulances!” The young blue-eyed deputy did as he was told and radioed for medical assistance. The other few sheriff deputies cautiously approached the scene but stood at a respectful distance. However, Agent McCall came barreling through them and rushed towards the group to stand next to the Sheriff and his estranged wife, Melissa. “What the HELL is going on here!?” He looked down to see his son and the deceased young lady lying at his knees. Agent McCall ran his hands through his hair and swore under his breath. His voice lowered before asking again. “Can anyone please explain to me what happened here? Why is there a dead teenager on the ground, why does it looked like all of these kids have been in a gang fight and why does it look like a bomb went off at the clinic?” Melissa hugged herself and rolled her eyes. “Raf, can this possibly wait. We have been through a lot tonight.” “Melissa you know damn well this cannot wait! There is a dead person on the ground! Scott, what happened? Scott I am talking to you son, what happened? Scott…” Scott’s body tensed at the sound of his father’s voice. How dare he intrude at this very moment. Melissa could see the change in her son’s posture even though all the adults could see was his back. Through gritted teeth Scott almost barked back a reply. “You have no right to call me your son. You haven’t been my father since I was old enough to realize. You lost that right the day you left.” The venom in Scott’s voice cut through his father and he winced. The Sheriff and Chris Argent were both uncomfortable witnessing this exchange and wishing they were not within earshot. “Agent McCall this group was attacked tonight by some unknown assailants. Many of them are in complete shock and as you can see, I’ve lost my daughter.” Chris took a pause before continuing. “We understand you have to do your job but could you let these teenagers gather themselves first?” Agent McCall gently nodded. “I’ll be back at the Sheriff’s office. Sheriff Stilinski I trust you will handle this crime scene correctly and make sure everyone here comes down to the station to give their witness accounts.” Stiles’ father nodded and Agent McCall walked back towards his car and drove off, still reeling from his son’s words. The sheriff rubbed his temples and sighed audibly. “Parrish you and the men contain this area. I want police tape around this entire building and I want you guys to begin gathering any pieces of evidence you encounter. Let’s be thorough and efficient, I don’t need any more pressure from the Feds, ok?” Deputy Parrish nodded and began coordinating the actions of the rest of the deputies. “Melissa the ambulance will be here soon can you make sure anyone that needs medical assistance receives it?” Melissa nodded before something panged in her memory and she went to speak but the sheriff cut her off. “Where’s Stiles? Where’s my son?” The sheriff was so busy doing his job he did not realize his son was not amongst the teenagers in the group.  
Melissa gave Sheriff Stilinski a look of pure sympathy. “John, that’s what I was about to tell you. John, there is something wrong with Stiles.” The sheriff’s eyes went wide and he began whipping his head around for signs of his son on the ground. Was he hurt too? He looked all around but could not see him. “John, John! Listen to me. Stiles is not hurt but he’s not fine either.” “Melissa you are not making any sense right now. Is he fine or not?” Dr. Deaton stepped up and joined the conversation. “Sheriff, I understand you have just recently been informed about the special nature of this town, aside from the obvious trauma you had to endure with Melissa and Chris here.” Stiles’ father just nodded recalling being abducted by the Darach and that uncomfortable dinner conversation he and Stiles had recently; a dinner that was overbearingly healthy and alcohol free. Stiles took many hours explaining werewolves, banshees, kanimas, and druids and how most of the people he hung out with were indeed not 100% human, including his best friend. The sheriff went into that dinner thinking that maybe his son was going to come out of the closet. He had heard Stiles wild stories before in the many times he explained why he was always breaking curfew or showing up at crime scenes he was not supposed to be at; or that one time he had a young lady in his room whom he claimed was a werewolf… Cora was her name he remembers. However after that recent dinner the sheriff had secretly hoped in retrospect that his son was simply coming out. That was a concept he could understand at least. Dr. Deaton continued on: “Japanese mythology is a rich one and has a history that far predates even U.S. History. There is something in their lore known as a Kitsune, I know sheriff these terms are going to be confusing, but a Kitsune is a trickster spirit that usually manifests itself in the form of a fox spirit. Most of these entities are benevolent and usually play harmless tricks on unsuspecting people. However, inversely, there are powerful Kitsune that are much darker, more sinister. They are known as Nogitsune, or void Kitsune. Think of them as the Kitsune’s hit men. They are usually summoned by Kitsune who seek vengeance and take within themselves the dark spirit. In rare cases these summoned Nogitsune come to possess other people instead of the Kitsune that invoked their power.” The sheriff was rubbing his temples trying to see where this little mythology lesson was heading and getting irritated in the process. “Look, Doc, this is very fascinating but could we cut to the chase? How is this story supposed to make me understand where my son is and why he is fine but not fine at the same time?” Dr. Deaton stared at the sheriff calmly: “Sheriff Stilinski, your son has been possessed by a Nogitsune. When he sacrificed himself along with Scott and Allison, to rescue all of you, he opened his mind, body and spirit to be attacked and taken over by this Nogitsune. I’m sorry sheriff but if mythology is correct your son is no longer your son. There is nothing we can do but eliminate the threat.” When the doctor said this every member of the pack stared wide-eyes at each other, even Scott who had finally risen to join the rest. “ABSOLUTELY NOT! I have been very patient and have even grown to accept that we live in some supernatural wasteland but I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT MY SON IS GONE! NOR WILL I EVEN ENTERTAIN THE NOTION THAT WE HAVE TO KILL HIM TO ELIMINATE SOME THREAT!” Scott looked exhausted and his normally expressive brown eyes seemed unnaturally hollow and lifeless. “He’s right Dr. Deaton, there’s got to be some other way. We are talking about my best friend! There has got to be some other way… I’m not losing anyone else…” He turned to look down at the lifeless body of Allison and tears streamed down his face again. “We are going to find some other way and that’s final.” “Scott, I know this is hard to comprehend but we don’t have a choice. You weren’t out here Scott… you didn’t see the Nogitsune take control of the Oni and forced them to continue to attack. You didn’t see it command them to.. To kill.. Allison. Scott he is too dangerous and we do not have time to see if there is some other way!”  
It felt like someone had shot a cannonball into his gut and knocked the wind out of him. “He—he—what? Mom, tell me he’s mistaken. Stiles would never—never harm anyone! Mom!” Melissa could only look at her son with pained eyes and Scott knew what Deaton had said was the truth. “So you see Scott, we have to eliminate this threat before anyone else gets hurt.” Scott looked down towards Allison’s body and fought back control of his breathing. “NO.. That is my best friend and I know he’s still in there! We will not hurt him! I don’t even understand why him? Why is this dark spirit even here!? Why!?” No one could answer Scott. “The Nogitsune is here because of me.” Everyone turned their heads towards the tree line that began when the parking lot ended to see a bruised but functioning Kira standing next to Noshiko, her mother. “I summoned that monster and until my last dying breath I will make sure it harms no one else.” Noshiko spoke with a deadly conviction but her eyes were full of sadness and remorse. She told the entire history of the Nogitsune starting from a secret Japanese-American Internment camp called Oak Creek that existed near Beacon Hills in 1943, during the height of the Second World War. She explained the great love story involving herself and a soldier named Rhys (which got some eye rolls from her daughter). She also went into the medical smuggling scandal that created a domino effect that led to a revolt by the Japanese-American prisoners against their American captors. In vivid detail she recalled the massacre of innocent Japanese-American citizens and the demise of Rhys and her near death. She filled in the gaps about Kitsune lore and admitted to everyone that she was in fact over 900 years old. Sheriff Stilinski was glad that his deputies were too busy working the crime scene out of earshot of this fantastic story. She got to the part explaining it was she that summoned the vengeful spirit to imbue her body with the Nogitsune spirit to heal her bullet-riddled body and give her strength to exact revenge against the Americans that killed all those innocent people, including her lover. “I wanted chaos, pain and strife! But the Nogitsune is a trickster spirit and had a sick sense of humor.” She told the group that the dark spirit possessed the dead body of Rhys, now bandaged from head to toe as his entire body was burned by a Molotov cocktail flung at him by Satomi, an older Japanese-American woman and bitten werewolf. As Noshiko wrapped up her tale she recounted how the Nogitsune murdered every man, woman and child in Oak Creek, from the doctors and nurses to the Japanese-American prisoners. “He grew stronger with every life he took, feeding off the chaos and pain of his victims. It took the combined efforts of myself and Satomi, a fox and a wolf, working together to bring Rhys down. I was able to trap the Nogitsune in an enchanted jar and I hid it deep beneath the roots of the Nematon where the spirit lay dormant for decades until recently when Scott, you and the others reenergized the Nematon when you saved your guardians. Now the Nogitsune has possessed your friend and he is VOID now. The person you thought was your friend is no longer Scott! We have to kill him!” The group stood dumfounded and Alejandro shook his head at learning yet more supernatural crap. Scott stood his ground and said “no there is another way,” but even the conviction in his voice had lessened after hearing Noshiko’s story.  
The ambulances arrived before anything else could be said. Scott just kept eye contact with the older woman while all around him deputies and medical staff began checking on the teenagers and gently placed Allison’s body into a body bag. Chris decided he was going to ride with her body back to the hospital morgue and Melissa decided to go with him for support (after making sure her son would be fine and giving him and her adopted son Isaac a huge motherly hug). None of the wolves in the pack left in the ambulances as their bodies were healing on their own. When the ambulances left the remaining pack started to prepare to disperse for the night. Aiden cocked his eyebrows and looked around. “Guys where is Lydia? Wasn’t she here with us?” The remaining pack all scrunched their eyebrows in confusion and looked around. “I didn’t see her leave,” a really confused Danny stated. Scott was pacing frantically. “Did anyone see anything!? She was here with us! I know she was!” Everyone had a pained expression feeling embarrassed that they were so focused on Allison that they failed to realize Lydia was not amongst them. Noshiko knew what the others were slowly starting to suspect. “He has her, it’s the only explanation. She was using Molotov cocktails; it must have reminded the Nogitsune about the past atrocities.” Scott walked over to Stiles jeep continually punched it hard yelling, “ONE THING AFTER THE FUCKING OTHER!” Derek was closest to him and grabbed his punching arm. “Calm down Scott, we’ll look for her. You’ve been through a lot tonight. We will scour Beacon Hills. You will be the first we contact if we find any signs of her. For now, please go home and rest. Isaac take him back.” “You don’t need my help looking for Lydia?” Alejandro stepped up and placed a hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “I’ll help look for her; Derek’s right take Scott home. Ethan, Aiden and I will help look.” Derek cocked one eyebrow up but did not say anything. Alejandro turned to Danny: “Danny you need to rest too. Thanks so much for helping tonight, you are a real brave guy.” Danny gave a half-smile and nodded. “Uhm, I can help look too,” a wary Kira said looking towards the group. Noshiko frowned before agreeing. “She and I will join in the search. It will give me some valuable time to assist in training her and awakening her powers.” Alejandro nodded and walked over to a quiet and exhausted Scott. “Scott, I know I am making these orders but they are still your pack. I defer to your final say-so.” Alejandro lowered his gaze in reverence to the True Alpha of the group and further reminded himself that he would always be known as an Ultimate Omega no matter how accepting they were of him. Scott gently took his hand and raised Alejandro’s eyes to meet his own. “Thanks Alejandro, I mean it. We have to talk after all of this is said and done. As for the rest of you, travel in pairs and always have your phones on you. I want constant updates. No one, and I repeat, no one is to engage Stiles if they stumble upon him. I want no more violence or accidents.” Alejandro nodded once into the palm of Scott’s hand before turning to Dr. Deaton. “Ok it’s settled then. Doctor could you let Ms. Morrell know where I am at? She’s kind of a mom to me now.” “I will.” With that the group began to disband. The sheriff was still standing there with Scott and Isaac as the rest of the pack dispersed into groups. The twins headed south while Kira and Noshiko ran north. This left the uncomfortable pairing of Derek and Alejandro whom decided to head west into the woods. “I’ll get my deputies to scour as far east as our jurisdiction allows.” “We’ll find him Sheriff Stilinski and we’ll make sure no one harms him. I trust my pack and their abilities.” Stiles’ father let out an audible sigh of relief. “I’m going to drop you boys off and then head to the hospital to check on your mom and Chris then go down to the station and start up the paperwork. I’ll stall your father a while so don’t worry about having to go into the station to give statements until tomorrow; same goes to the rest of the guys.” Scott and Isaac climbed into the back of Sheriff Stilinski’s cruiser and sat quietly the entire ride home. Neither boy knew what to say to the other so they sat in quiet contemplation. The sheriff glanced into his rearview from time to time to observe the boys with identical downtrodden faces staring into space. He made it to the McCall residence after a ten minute drive and let the boys out. “You two take care, get some rest, and I’ll contact you if anything pops up.” Both Isaac and Scott mumbled their thank yous to the sheriff and proceeded to enter the house. They were exhausted and Scott felt bad that the rest of the pack were still out there looking along with Kira and Noshiko. It was approaching six in the morning and the first rays of sunlight were already peeking through the horizon line. Scott nearly bumped into Isaac who had stopped moving forward into the house and was crying where he stood. “Isaac, I’m gonna miss her too man. I know that you two were getting closer and she was my ex. We both lost someone important.” Scott draped his arm around Isaac’s taller shoulder and squeezed. Isaac turned to face Scott and his crystal blue orbs were overflowing with tears, resembling a melting glacier. Scott’s brown eyes were radiating a warmth and protectiveness. Scott knew his Beta had suffered a lot of loss in his life from his mother and brother to the murder of his father by the kanima. That is how Isaac came to live at the McCall house, after his abusive father was murdered and after Derek had kicked him out of his loft in order to protect him from the Alpha pack and to keep a closer eye on his younger sister. Now Isaac had become Melissa’s second son and Scott’s most trusted Beta. After Stiles, Isaac was his next closest friend and living under one roof had strengthened their friendship even more. “Scott, I’m so sorry for your loss. I heard her Scott… you were always going to be the love of her life… and now she’s gone… she’s gone Scott.” Isaac’s shoulders shook as he let out more tears and sobs and Scott gave Isaac a full-on hug. They squeezed and held the other for support and both cried into the other’s shoulders. In a way this show of emotions in the privacy of their home was cathartic and after twenty solid minutes of sobbing and whispers of “it’s ok, we’ll be ok” the sobbing started to subside into light sniveling. They finally released their hug and both boys had red faces and puffy, red eyes. “Thanks Scott, I really needed that.” “I needed that too Isaac, I’m glad I have you here. I don’t think I could face this alone.” Isaac let out a genuine smile and Scott returned one right back. There was a definite intimacy between the two but neither of them found it disconcerting or awkward. “We should try to get some rest,” Scott said, “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.” Isaac nodded and finally yawned and both started ascending the stairs to their respective rooms. Scott reached his door first slightly hesitating before grabbing the doorknob. Isaac approached his room and was about to enter when he heard Scott ask him something. “Uhm.. Isaac..You don’t have to say yes.. But.. Uhm.. Would you stay in my room with me? It’s just that Stiles and I used to always share each other’s bed when we went through traumatic stuff like his mom dying or my dad walking out on us… and it uhm.. Always helped me sleep better. Just having someone else there, ya know?” Isaac stared contemplatively at Scott as his curly hair rested on his own closed door. Isaac smiled, “sure Scott that actually sounds like a good idea.” Scott smiled goofily at Isaac with his crooked smile and opened his door to observe his slightly messy room. Scott stripped down to his boxers not really thinking about modesty as he was extremely tired. His taught, tan muscles were rippling due to the physical exertion battling the Oni and Alejandro. Isaac always marveled at Scott’s physique, even from their lacrosse days. Lacrosse seemed like a distant memory but conditioning was going to begin soon and he almost welcomed returning to the normalcy of high school. Deciding that he was too tired to be shy and timid he stripped down to his boxers as well, revealing a tall and lean swimmers build and porcelain skin. Both teens had smooth, hairless bodies so their respective muscles were more defined. Scott climbed into his bed and then lifted the comforter and patted the empty spot next to him. Isaac climbed into the bed and lay on his side, facing Scott. Scott was facing Isaac too and both of them just kept eye contact until they fell asleep, neither one remembering who fell asleep first.  
Derek and Alejandro were sprinting through Beacon Hills Forest, both having transformed into their wolf forms. They searched together in silence but obeyed Scott’s rule about not splitting up. Alejandro had wished that maybe he could have searched with one of the twins as he felt more comfortable with them as they had adopted him as their brother, but he knew they made a formidable team so it just made sense to be paired with Derek. In the back of his mind he thought about his best friend Kira as well but Noshiko demonstrated the abilities of a Kitsune when the Oni had abducted him so he knew they were both going to be fine. Derek slowed his sprint and began sniffing the air and Alejandro slowed his pace to follow. “You smell something, Der?” Derek’s back muscles stiffened through the thin material of his t-shirt and he spun around with a scowl. “Look, we are forced to work together because Scott commanded it but you will not address me by any other name but Derek… I don’t want you using little pet names or shortening my name as if you are my friend. You are not my friend. I am only tolerating you because I have to. Got it?” Alejandro stared stoically at Derek but did not retort with anything; which Derek assumed to mean the other wolf understood his place. Derek turned and continued in their direction which was leading them closer to the bluffs overlooking downtown Beacon Hills. It was the highest elevation in the town and was high enough that even the mightiest of werewolves would perish if falling off the sheer cliff face. Alejandro had an uneasy feeling that Derek was leading them there on purpose to perhaps get rid of him and make it look like an accident. Alejandro shook the thought out of his head and followed behind the big, sour Beta. Derek sniffed the air and Alejandro instinctively did as well. They both smelled it at the same time; another wolf and some other wild animal that smelled like a partial wolf. Alejandro was too new at the supernatural world to understand what he was smelling but Derek’s claws were out, fully aware that both smells were dangerous. Alejandro extracted his claws as well not wanting to be unprepared. As the tree line thinned out and the barren cliff edge appeared they could see a solitary figure standing and observing the town below. “Stiles?” a wary Derek called out. The figure turned and smiled. It was Stiles but the devilish grin that he flashed was the farthest from Stiles anyone could be. “Derek, be careful, remember the Nogitsune and Scott not wanting us to engage it.” Even though Derek did not like him Alejandro was going to ensure that they both returned safely. “Ahhh look what we have here, such an unlikely pairing! What brings you out here, surely not little old me?” Stiles was chuckling in a menacing way and besides his appearance nothing read Stiles anymore. His skin was more gaunt than usual and he had dark circles under his eyes. “Stiles I know you are in there! It’s me, it’s Derek! Come back to me Stiles.” Stiles stopped giggling and his face immediately turned into one of panic. “Derek! Is that you!? I’m so scared Derek! I—I don’t know what to do!” Derek rushed to Stiles side despite Alejandro calling his name and telling him not to. Derek wrapped the paler and skinnier boy in his strong arms and held him as Stiles let tears fall from his face. “Oh God Stiles! I thought I lost you… even before we had our... Chance to be something.” Derek could not believe how much he liked this kid until the thought of losing him became clear. No one could have predicted this outcome from their beginnings as they seemed to be like water and oil as Stiles found every conceivable way to annoy the piss out of Derek. Alejandro stood a few feet away watching the two embrace, trying not to let his disappointment bubble to the surface. As much as it hurt; and it hurt bad to the point where he thought jumping into a volcano would be nowhere near as painful as watching Stiles and Derek hugging, he could see how well their bodies molded into the other and the size discrepancy made the pairing seem like perfection.  
Alejandro was about to turn away as Stiles face was the one looking in his direction; to give them privacy, when Stiles’ eyes bolted open and he grinned deviously. Alejandro was confused. “Ohh Derek, how predictable. Really, one tear and you were putty in my hands? How pathetic.” Derek’s body tensed and he realized that he was in a trap and before he could react Stiles’ hug morphed into the skinnier boy squeezing the bigger wolf into a bear hug and lifting him off the ground. Derek was powerless to fight back as the Nogitsune’s strength was far superior to anything he encountered before. “Stuh-Stiles… what are you doing?” Stiles smirked and swung his body around so that Derek was in the air dangling off the edge of the cliff. Alejandro’s eyes went wide as he saw what was going to happen next. “NOOOOOOOOO!” he screamed as Stiles released his grip and Derek’s wide-eyes disappeared from view off the cliff’s edge. “DEREK!!!!” Alejandro wanted to run to the edge but could not see how he was going to get past the Nogitsune. Thankfully the Nogitsune seemed to have gotten his fill of chaos for the moment and vanished into thin air with the devious smirk he seemed to always possess. Alejandro quickly scrambled to the cliff’s edge and got onto his stomach to peer over the side. He hated heights but he had to see where Derek landed but his heart sank when the sheer height of the cliff made itself apparent. “Ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod,” was all that Alejandro could repeat over and over as he knew nothing could survive that fall. Tears were escaping his eyes as he dreaded having to tell Scott that another member of his pack was dead. There was a grunt and Alejandro quickly shoved down his next sob to listen closer to the sound. It was surprisingly close and he had to drape his body even further off the edge of the cliff face to peer down. What he saw almost took his breath away. Derek had somehow managed to grab hold of a root that was jutting off the cliff face but his grip was slipping. “Derek! Hold tight! Oh god please hold tight! I’m gonna get you ok!” Derek was too busy struggling on keeping his grip to really respond. There was nothing for Alejandro to make a rope out of and he cursed to himself thinking it would be like the movies where there would be an abundance of vines to use. He made a split decision and hoped it would not be the wrong one. “Derek, I am going to dangle my legs over and you’re going to climb up ok!!??” Alejandro got down into a crouch and dug both his claws as deep into the rock as he could before gingerly dropping one leg then the other over the side of the cliff face. Had an enemy been there they could have easily stomped on his hands and sent both he and Derek over to their deaths. He did not want to think about that as he lowered his entire body over and was hanging just by his embedded claws. He felt his feet come in contact with what he hoped was Derek and his assumption was confirmed as Derek wrapped his arms around both his legs. The added weight was wrecking his hold but he grit his teeth and held with all of the strength in his body as Derek began to slowly use him as a human rope. Normally the sensation of such an attractive and muscular man groping and grabbing all over would have given Alejandro all sorts of good fits but this was not one of those situations. Derek was completely hugging Alejandro from behind now and was shimmying up towards the cliff top. Derek grabbed the edge and was able to dig his claws and relieve some of the weight and pressure off of Alejandro. With a mighty push-off Derek was able to swing his legs up and over the top lip and he rolled instinctively away from the edge. Alejandro felt his grip about to give way and for a split second thought that maybe Derek was going to let him fall. He was relieved when he felt strong hands grip each of his wrists and drag him upwards and back onto flat land again. Both of them collapsed into a heap, Alejandro landing on top of Derek. They were both so exhausted that neither one made a snarky comment or complained about their compromising position. Derek’s breaths were labored and Alejandro had to admit it was nice to be laying on top of such an amazing physical specimen. Pushing those thoughts away he slid off of Derek and laid down on his back next to Derek. Neither one spoke for a few minutes as they caught their breaths and still didn’t speak as they slunk back towards the woods to get some distance away from the dangers of the cliff edge. They made their way to an older tree that had a substantial trunk though it was nowhere near as thick as the stump of the Nematon and both wolves plopped down next to the other; their backs resting against the trunk.  
After a while Derek finally spoke. “Alejandro… thanks.” It was simple but effective. “No problem..Der..Uhm..Sorry.. Derek.” Alejandro's face looked sad remembering the mean words of earlier. “Look, what I said to you earlier, it was said out of anger and jealousy. I really didn’t mean to be such a prick.” The younger wolf's eyes bugged open and his eyebrows scrunched. “Jealousy? Derek look at you bro. When people describe their ideal dark, tall, handsome and brooding man your image probably pops up 100% of the time. What could you possibly be jealous of?” Derek allowed himself to smirk at the compliment. “You don’t look in the mirror much do you? You sell yourself short.” Alejandro scoffed at this revelation. He knew he wasn’t unattractive, in fact he noticed that many people at Beacon Hills High School glanced at him from time to time but he was so introverted that he took great pains to make himself mostly invisible. However hanging with the likes of Derek, and Scott, and Isaac, and the Twins, heck even Danny and of course Stiles… he felt like the ugly sibling in comparison. “I never really considered myself like one of the hot people. I know I am not a dog but I never held myself in high regards; I’m a victim of a damaged self-esteem I guess.” “You know Alejandro there are so many more facets to what makes people attractive than their looks.” “Yeah but everyone looks at the book’s cover or the attractive packaging first before deciding if it’s worth their while to investigate further.” They sat in silence for a few more minutes. “Derek, I want you to know that I won’t interfere with whatever is forming between you and Stiles. I can’t say I am ecstatic about it but he made the right choice. There’s a history that I could never be able to replicate; you win and I’m tapping out.” Derek could hear the tremor in Alejandro’s voice and knew it was taking everything in the other wolf’s power to keep it together. “I don’t want you to consider yourself the loser because this isn’t a game to me. It took me such a long time to realize what I was feeling for Stiles, a really long time. We used to drive each other crazy but we always ended up saving each other; no matter the circumstance fate always made our lives intertwine (Derek seems to be looking into the distance with a faraway look in his eye). He wormed his way into my heart. It would be a gaze that lingered too long, or an interaction that would seem hostile to an outsider but was well within our usual banter, or it would be the way we would risk our own lives to save the other without thinking or hesitation. I have been so afraid of letting anyone in again… I promised myself that after my last two relationships (Derek winced thinking of Kate Argent and Jennifer Blake) I wouldn’t attempt another one, and maybe I should have followed my own advice because my next prospect almost killed me today.” Derek’s voice became bitter when he said his last statement and he was grinding his teeth. “Derek that thing was not Stiles; it’s some piece of shit demon controlling his body and somewhere in there the Stiles that you… that WE both fell for is… is trapped inside. I let Noshiko sway me into thinking the only option was to sacrifice him for the greater good but what good would life be without Stiles in it? I know I’m the new guy here but I want to be here to witness you two grow and maybe become something serious. I want to be that friend that both of you can come to when you just need to vent about anything annoying. I want to be here to see you make the… man of our… dreams … hap…py.” Tears were rolling down Alejandro’s face as he was accepting his place as just a friend and elevating Derek to be the one for Stiles. Derek felt the sadness emanating from the other wolf and he gently placed one hand on Alejandro’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine Derek, I’ll get over it in time. I can’t promise an overnight miracle but I do promise I will get over it. I’ll make you a deal… you be patient with me and let me have my crappy moments of jealousy and sadness and I’ll avoid making dramatic gagging noises every time you two do something sappy or romantic.” Alejandro smiled through his tears as Derek let out a chuckle. “Deal.” Derek’s smile faded at the sobering thought of the pack still having no idea how to deal with the Nogitsune while trying to get Stiles back unharmed. There was also the big question of finding Lydia before the Nogitsune could do something terrible to her, if it hadn’t already. Alejandro could see the wheels of Derek’s mind whirring around so he patted Derek’s thigh to signal it was time to get a move on. “We’re going to find him and we’re going to figure out how to get Stiles and Lydia back Derek. There is no doubt about that. I may not be an optimistic person but every fiber of my being is telling me that we are going to defeat this thing.” Derek looked at Alejandro with a newfound appreciation and was grateful now that they were paired up. It was like therapy, but better and a lot cheaper. Derek pulled Alejandro into a tight bro hug and squeezed. Alejandro hugged him back with equal force before pulling away. They gave each other a small smile and proceeded back into the woods to search a different area. If they had attuned their wolf senses more they would have picked up the strong scent of another werewolf. A few hundred feet away opposite where the boys had just had their heart to heart an angry pair of blue eyes stared menacingly at the two retreating wolves. It let out a growl and watched intently before scurrying away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think so far? Please leave feedback (positive/constructive) and I will attempt to take in your advice to help improve my writing. This is my first attempt at writing anything so I would really appreciate the advice and words of encouragement. Take care!


	8. The One Where Isaac and Scott get Smutty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite their ongoing struggle with the Nogitsune and the Oni... our boys find time to explore their relationships further. THERE'S FINALLY SOME SMUTTINESS YAY!!! AND SCISAAC!! SCISAAC SMUT!!

The bright, mid-morning sun was filtering into the one window next to Scott’s bed creating an almost angelic glow surrounding the two figures whose limbs were currently intertwined with the other. Somehow in their slumber their legs became entangled and Scott’s toned arm was draped over the pale body of Isaac’s as they were turned towards the other; their bodies had shifted even closer as they dreamed. Their foreheads were touching and Isaac’s right arm was occupying the slight gap between their naked upper bodies and his pinky was gently massaging Scott’s well-defined stomach while they both slept. Scott slowly awoke feeling the tickling sensation on his abdominal muscles as his eyes fluttered open. He was facing a still passed out Isaac, who was snoring slightly but not annoyingly, and the light was highlighting all of his facial features and his other physical attributes as well; the strong angular jaw and modelesque cheekbones, the pale delicate skin, his lean torso and pectoral muscles as his chest rose and fell with every deep breath and finally his soft, curly blond hair that glowed in the sunlight. Scott smiled slightly before realizing that they were in a much too intimate situation, especially the finger tracing circles on his stomach. Scott frowned but not because he was uncomfortable, in fact it was quite the opposite; he was frowning because it felt natural and right. Scott was feeling remorse over the events of the night before and the tremendous loss of their great friend, pack-mate and his ex-girlfriend; but there he was in bed with Isaac and enjoying the moment. It was not making sense to Scott; the emotions inside of him were at war and he was unsure what side was winning. Scott was so lost in thought he didn’t notice that Isaac had opened his eyes too (having felt his Alpha’s strong confusion). Deep brown collided with crystal blue and for a moment all was still and tense. 

“Scott? What’s wrong?” 

Isaac knew from early on that he had a connection with Scott despite being a member of Derek’s pack. Slowly but surely his allegiance switched towards Scott and he knew there was more behind it than his unyielding trust for the virtuous and kind True Alpha. As he got his bearings Isaac became aware of their body position and his face became red and flushed. 

“Oh,” is all Isaac can say, his gaze darting away from Scott as he became super self-conscious at the moment.  
Isaac quickly untangled himself from Scott and swung his legs over the side of the bed so he sat facing away from the tan Adonis. Scott’s brow furrowed with confusion as he looked at Isaac’s toned back and shoulders. 

“Uhm, nothing is wrong Isaac, are… are you ok?” 

Scott could not see Isaac’s eyes clamped shut but he could feel the tension in the Beta’s body. Maybe Isaac was weirded out by their situation as well and was embarrassed. 

“It’s cool Isaac, I know we both toss and turn. It’s not a big deal man.” 

Isaac let out the breath he was holding for what seemed like forever and his shoulders seemed to slump down. “Yeah. It was no big deal, you’re right. I am gonna head back to my room.” 

Before Scott could protest Isaac was out the door leaving Scott perplexed. 

“What the hell just happened,” Scott muttered to himself as he sighed and rolled towards the edge of the bed looking for his cell phone. He found it slightly underneath the bed and checked to see if he had any missed calls or messages and found that strangely there weren’t any. The Pack must have decided he needed a stress free night though they had no idea he was going to have a slightly strange morning. He shot a text to Derek asking for any updates to which Derek quickly replied the he and Alejandro had a precarious encounter with the NogitsuStiles but things were ok and they were hot on his heels. Scott smiled a little at the thought of those two working together. He heard the front door open and a sigh that was distinctly his mother which meant she was just now getting back from the hospital where the night before she had went with Chris to help him cope with the passing of his daughter Allison. Allison. Allison. The name kept echoing in Scott’s head and he became ultra-aware that he was never going to see her warm smile, her inquisitive brown eyes, her steely resolve and the way she could singlehandedly handle any werewolf that crossed her path if they threatened her in any way. He stifled back his sobs and quickly wiped his tears away and threw on a t-shirt. He bounded out of his room and quickly glanced to see that Isaac’s door was still shut before he proceeded down the stairs. He found his mom slumped on the couch exhausted with one arm resting on her forehead.

“Mom, are you ok? How is Mr. Argent?” 

She sighed and spoke through closed eyes. “He’s fine, actually, more fine than a parent should be hours after losing their only child.”  
Scott could hear the tension in her voice but let her finish speaking.  
“We had to identify Allison’s body of course and that was the only time I could sense any type of emotion from that guy. I think he must be in shock still. We had to keep explaining to the hospital staff that the attack happened too fast and we did not see the assailant. It’s not every day they see someone with a fatal sword wound. I am just dreading having to explain this all over again when we do have to give witness statements down at the sheriff’s office.” 

Scott just stood behind his mother, twiddling his fingers together and running them through his hair. Melissa finally perched herself upright and half-turned her body so she could get a visual of her son. He looked like he was crying recently with his puffy eyes and her face immediately softened. 

“Oh dear, what kind of mother am I? Come here Scott.” She patted the spot next to her and he came over and curled up next to his mom letting her hold him in a hug, similar to how she used to do when he was younger and things like losing his favorite Pokémon cards were the end of the world. 

“How are you taking all of this dear? I know she was special to you. Do you want to see someone about it, maybe a counselor?” 

Scott just shook his head. He definitely did not want to talk to a shrink. “I just need some time mom, I’ll be ok. She and I weren’t us for a while but a part of me always thought that we would get back together. Despite me sorta dating Kira and she (Allison)… and… with Isaac….” 

His voice trailed off not wanting to think about his ex and his housemate being intimate. 

“It’s going to be weird not seeing her again and then there’s Stiles. I don’t know what the hell to do nor about what is going on there. I can’t even comprehend all of this supernatural mythology and my best friend being possessed. Kitsunes, Nogitsunes, Oni…. I mean it’s like the stuff that Stiles reads about in his comic books. Now we’re actually dealing with-with… I don’t even know! Ever since I got this damned Bite my life has been just one hellish highlight reel.”  


Melissa hugged her son tighter. “I know dear, it’s a lot to take in. Remember how I used to hide bats or frying pans or anything that could be used in self-defense for weeks after finding out about your special situation? I had to learn that despite it all, half of you is human and 100% of you is still my son. We are in this together, through the good times and the bad. Sometimes I am glad we have Isaac living here too. He knows more about what you are going through than I ever will. He’s like a second son now and I am just glad you two have each other.”

Scott’s body tensed at his mother’s words even though he knew she just meant that they had the other for support and safety. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” said Scott who was apprehensive because they were not expecting any company that morning. 

Derek and Alejandro stood waiting for someone to answer the door and when it finally swung open they were met with the big brown eyes of Scott McCall.  


“H-Hey guys…I uhm wasn’t expecting you. What’s up?”

Scott could see that both Derek and Alejandro looked somewhat worse for wear indicating they haven’t slept at all since the previous evening which made him feel slightly guilty that they had allowed him a peaceful night. Derek rolled his eyes, “Ohh I don’t know Scott, maybe the problem of a missing Stiles and Lydia is what’s up.”  


Scott’s face fell slightly. Alejandro shot Scott a very sympathetic look to which Scott was grateful; between Stiles and Lydia’s disappearance, the death of Allison, the awkwardness with Isaac and now Derek making him feel mentally retarded it was nice to see a face that was not being judgmental. Scott decided to shake it off and went into planning mode.

“I assume that you have a good idea where Stiles is going to strike next then? Maybe we could set up a trap to ensure he doesn’t get away next time.” 

Derek raised one brow at the obvious allusion to his near-death experience with Stiles and through gritted teeth he stated, “We have noticed his appearances seem to follow a pattern from the high school and the hospital to the hills overlooking Beacon Hills and the veterinarian’s office. If we double back to one of the locations we think we can draw him there.” 

Scott nodded at this information. “Well the school is too risky because there are a lot of innocent students there which would rule out the hospital as well. The hills are dangerous for obvious reasons (Derek raised his eyebrows at this again) so that leaves Dr. Deaton’s clinic. I’ll call him to set up some sort of trap; he might have some chemicals or something we could use to incapacitate Stiles safely.” 

Derek and Alejandro nodded in agreement to Scott’s suggestion. Scott pulled out his phone to call Deaton while Derek called the twins. Alejandro shot a text to Kira to tell her about the plan and while he did so he happened to look up the stairwell to see a sad looking Isaac staring down. They made eye contact and had a silent conversation and Alejandro mouthed “are you ok?” Isaac shook his head and Alejandro got the hint. Isaac turned back quickly towards his room before the others noticed him.  
Scott ended his phone call and said: “Ok we got a plan, let’s head to the clinic.” 

Derek turned to exit but Alejandro lingered. “Uhm, Scott. If it’s ok with you, I’ll stay here and guard the house, to you know, just make sure there is someone here with your mom. Just in case.”

Scott smiled kindly and put his hand on Alejandro’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “Thanks Alejandro, that’s really thoughtful of you. Isaac is upstairs in case you need help. I hope Stiles doesn’t show up here but I feel a whole lot better that there is going to be someone to make sure my mom is safe.”  


Scott smiled more but his eyes were sad.  


“I’ll make sure to have my phone on the whole time. Be careful Scott, Stiles is more powerful than we’ll ever know. I sent Kira a text so she should be meeting you there too.”  


Scott nodded before he and Derek jumped into Derek’s Camaro. When they left Alejandro stood awkwardly facing Melissa who was still sitting on the couch before asking to be excused to fill Isaac in on the plan. She nodded and he bounded up the stairs towards Isaac’s room.  
He slowly approached the closed door and sighed before lightly knocking. He waited a few moments before the door opened and a downtrodden looking Isaac was standing there with his head hanging down. He shuffled to one side to allow Alejandro space to enter to which he proceeded into the room and glanced around. It was a comfortable looking guest room that had been transformed into Isaac’s and it was a lot tidier than what most teenagers’ rooms would look like. His clothes were neatly hung in his closet and his bed was made and hugged the right wall of the room. Underneath the single window was a computer desk with neatly stacked school books and notebooks in which Alejandro could imagine Isaac daydreaming and staring out of it enjoying the view as he did his homework. There was an old wooden dresser with a mirror on the left wall next to the open closet. It looked like a sterile room and Alejandro knew that this was the result of Isaac’s many years of being forced into perfection by an abusive father. He did smile when he saw that the walls did have framed photos of the entire pack at various points of their time together; Alejandro noted the newest photo was one of him, Isaac and Allison lying on a blanket in the grass mid-laugh as Lydia had captured the candid moment.  


“Wow Isaac, are you sure you are a teenager because I have never seen a room this neat… like ever.”  
Isaac chuckled slightly despite his sadness as he closed his door and crossed the room to plop down onto his bed. Alejandro sat next to him leaving enough room to make Isaac comfortable. They sat that way for what seemed like forever but was in actuality only five minutes. With a sigh Isaac finally began talking.  
“Alejandro, is it possible for two people that have never ever entertained the notion that they could be something more than … than friends… to one day have a moment that ignites some sort of spark in one of them… you know… towards the other one?”  
Alejandro frowned trying to decipher the cryptic sentence just shoved his way.  
“Isaac… can you maybe translate that sentence into something the human or wolf race can understand?”  
“Ugh, what I am asking is, is it possible that two people that have no business being together nor even thinking of the idea of being together have a chance of maybe being together despite the infinite negative reasons why they shouldn’t be together?”  
Alejandro was starting to get a headache from a combination of not getting any sleep and from Isaac’s inability to relay a coherent thought.  
“Isaac, could we maybe skip the formalities and vagueness and maybe for arguments sake, pretend that you trust me as a friend to just spill whatever it is you really want to spill? I know I am the new guy in this group but I think you and I have always been on the same page and before all this craziness we used to be pretty close... well you, me and … her… (sigh) and nothing has changed as far as I am concerned between you and I. Just trust me.”  
Alejandro’s eyes looked pleading and he turned to look at Isaac. Isaac bit his lower lip and decided to just go for it.  
“Ok, well, after last night’s shit storm Scott and I fell asleep on his bed. It was nothing but two friend’s consoling and grieving. However, this morning, when I woke up, Scott was already awake and I think he was watching me sleep. When I opened my eyes, we seemed to just have this connection; it felt like a bolt of lightning coursed through me as I stared back at him. I also felt... I felt lust coming from Scott and I know he felt it from me too. I was attracted to him at that moment and I know he felt the same. Then I freaked out because it’s Scott, and he’s a guy, NOT that there is anything wrong with that, but it’s Scott… and he and I like girls, well a certain girl to be exact, and it’s not right to be even thinking that way only hours after.. after we lost Allison. This is all so messed up and I am hella confused and I don’t even want to deal with this when we still have a lunatic Stiles running around probably torturing Lydia with his goddamn evil whatever the hell those ninja things are!”  
Alejandro’s mouth hung open slightly, not expecting anything remotely close to this. He thought Isaac was still sad about Allison, but he now knew that he was sad because he and Scott had a moment and he could not process it.  
“Oni… they’re called Oni… you and Scott? Wow Isaac that’s real heavy. I am going to ask you a very fair question, ok?”  
Isaac looked at Alejandro and nodded.  
“How sudden was this attraction, really? I don’t want to sound like a jerk because believe me I sound like one a lot, but this sort of thing is not usually a sudden thing you know? It is something that lingers somewhere deep inside; it festers, bides its’ time, it develops, matures, and grows, but it happens over time man. I knew I was gay despite every attempt to fight it and for a long time I kept it locked up and hidden. It was easy for me really always moving around with Kali… err my mom, so I could mask it as being an angst-filled teen tired of making and losing friends all the time. Then I met you all and felt like I could be more open and then Stiles hit me like a wrecking ball, ok you can stop smirking Isaac I happen to like Miley ok, it’s not all gangsta rap and reggaeton music you racist (Alejandro stated with a smile), but yeah Stiles brought to the front what I hid. However it was not a sudden thing, he just kinda wears down your walls, and the fact he is sexy as hell…”  
Isaac groaned. “Alejandro, you, tangent, get back to point of helping me, Isaac.”  
Alejandro smiled. “Was this really sudden Isaac or were you hiding feelings for Scott for longer than you want to let people realize?”  
Isaac’s face frowned as he thought long and hard about all of his interactions with Scott. The times in the beginning when they were not fond of each other when Derek had just turned him and he was terrorizing the school with Erica and Boyd and then there were their battles on the lacrosse field trying to exert their dominance over the other. Then there was the fight at the skating rink Boyd worked at. Gosh did he like Scott really? But then Isaac thought of the other moments; the time Scott took him in when Derek threw him out, the time Scott was thoroughly distraught the Sheriff was cuffing him and dragging him to the station as a suspect in his father’s death, or the time Scott was there to be his strength when they visited that damn basement where his father used to lock Isaac into the freezer as punishment for anything and everything that pissed him off. Isaac looked far off as he thought of Scott being worried about his safety when he and Erica were trying to sedate Jackson in his Kanima days, or when Scott asserted his control over Isaac during the field trip when he decided to use Ethan’s face as a punching bag. Yeah he really did like Scott.  
“I-I guess it’s always been there and I didn’t notice it.”  
Alejandro stared thoughtfully at his friend and gently placed a hand on Isaac’s knee and patted it.  
“When you think about it Isaac, are you really surprised? Look at it this way. I am sorry I am going to bring her up but you and Scott both liked Allison for most definitely the same reasons. Her beauty, her intelligence, her ability to adapt, her fearlessness, and all the qualities that made her awesome and in turn, she at different points reciprocated the attraction to both of you guys because of the qualities in each of you. Is it that far a stretch that two guys that have the amazing attributes to attract the same amazing girl, who have been through life threatening situations together, who have always looked out for the other and have shared experiences no one else would comprehend, would one day stop and notice the other and like what they saw? You and Scott make sense because besides the fact of Allison, you two were kinda sorta in a relationship already. It went deeper than friendship the day you stopped looking at Scott as Scott and started looking at Scott as your Alpha.”  
Isaac contemplated all this information and realized Alejandro was right. He was always attracted to Scott beyond his physicality. He was attracted to everything Scott was and everything he stood for. Allison was the buffer zone that separated them, but now the buffer zone was gone and the inevitable collision was happening.  
“Alejandro I’m scared. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What would everyone else think? What would Mrs. McCall think?”  
“Isaac, first off, no one will care about the whole two guys thing. I mean I think this pack is more gay than straight for crying out loud. (Isaac started counting off the members in his head that were not so straight: Danny, Ethan, Alejandro, Stiles, Derek, now himself and possibly Scott, he hoped) Secondly, Melissa McCall seems to be the second coming of Mother Theresa. That woman is a saint and I know she would be more than supportive and finally as far as Scott goes… you already said you felt the lust coming from him. What you two need to do is sit down and have THE talk… after all this other mess gets sorted out.”  
Isaac nodded and turned his head to look out the window. It was raining, and raining hard. Wasn’t it just sunny a little while ago?  
“Alejandro, can you may be like, be there, when he and I talk? At least be the moderator… I would feel a lot more comfortable if you were there.”  
“Uhh I don’t know Isaac. That might be something Scott would prefer being a one-on-one thing. He might not feel comfortable with me being there.”  
Isaac’s face turned slightly devious and he cracked a small smile. “Alejandro, Scott told me about that little boner fest you two had at Deaton’s… so believe me he won’t feel uncomfortable with you there.”  
Alejandro’s eyes widened and he gasped. “That asshole! We promised we would keep that a freaking secret! I’m going to kill him myself!”  
Both boys began to smirk and finally began giggling. Isaac couldn’t let the moment pass so he kept going.  
“So, I’ve never seen it.. is it big? Is it tan like the rest of Scott? Did it bounce off his stomach muscles?” Isaac was thoroughly enjoying the amazing shade of crimson Alejandro was turning.  
“Isaac Lahey! You have been gay for like a couple hours and you are already turning into a whore-mouth! And if you want to see what it looks like you are going to have to do the research yourself mister!”  
Isaac was still chuckling. “I don’t know if I am gay, but I guess I am definitely gay for Scott.”  
“Isaac that was the gayest thing I have ever heard.. and this is coming from a bona-fide gay man!”  
“Alejandro to be honest you are the most masculine gay guy ever. You might even make Derek look girly… oh wait… never mind. You like Miley Cyrus… Derek still wins the man award.”  
Alejandro grabbed one of Isaac’s pillows and chucked it at the blond boy. “I swear Lahey I hate you!”  
“Your smile says otherwise … whatever your last name is… wait what is your last name? I just confessed something hardcore deep and I don’t even know your last name?”  
Alejandro was going to make a Carrie Underwood reference but decided against it as he was already paying the Miley Cyrus price. “It’s Hernandez… Alejandro Hernandez… or Alexander Hernandez for the linguistics challenged folks out there.”  
“Wow, Alejandro Hernandez; aren’t you a spicy Latin man.”  
“Lord, Isaac, the only spicy Latin man you need to have in your radar is Scott.”  
Both boys shared a smile again. “Thanks Alejandro, for listening. I actually feel a lot better.”  
Before Alejandro could respond they heard the Camaro pull into the drive way. They looked out the upstairs window and saw Derek rushing out the driver’s side to pull the seat forward. He dragged out an unconscious Stiles as Kira emerged from the passenger side allowing Scott to gingerly step out. Isaac immediately noticed the big dark red stain that was on his abdomen and saw his shirt was ripped open at the wound site as if he had been stabbed with a knife or sword. Just behind them Deaton was running out of his car to rejoin the group with Peter Hale at his side. Alejandro had not seen Peter since the night he had bitten him and thus caused his transformation.  
“What the hell is he doing here!?” Alejandro spat out.  
“I don’t know man! None of us have seen him since… well you know since he did that to you. But Scott looks hurt let’s get downstairs and see what we can do!”  
They both ran down the stairs fast and went into the living room where Stiles was placed on the couch. Deaton was dropping some clear liquid on his tongue and revealed it was Kanima venom, which paralyzed anything it came in contact with. Alejandro guessed the evil was still inside of him or else they would not have taken that action. The entire group stood around Stiles apprehensively. Scott and Isaac shared a few uncomfortable glances while Alejandro was giving Peter the death stare as Derek rolled his eyes. Kira was darting her eyes from one member to the other trying figure out the different tensions in the room. Deaton and Melissa crouched and began checking over Stiles vital signs.  
“Ok I am going to ask the question everyone else here wants to know: what the hell happened to you guys? Kira looks like she’s been in a brawl, Scott looks like he’s been impaled, Stiles looks like he’s dying and Peter finally shows up after being missing for days… and where is Lydia… what the hell is going on?” Isaac’s tone was serious.  
Scott looked down towards the carpet not attempting to answer and Derek seemed as clueless as Isaac so he was no use either. Kira spoke up: “Um well, I met Scott and Derek behind the vet clinic and all of a sudden the skies turned dark and it started raining like crazy. Then the Oni showed up and we had to fend them off. Stiles appeared and he seemed… like Stiles again! He broke into the clinic and helped drag us inside but not before one of the Oni stabbed Scott through the stomach. Once we were safe inside I guess I started freaking out because Scott looked so pale and I went to pull the sword out and that’s all I can remember… besides waking up in Derek’s car. I don’t know what happened in-between!”  
Derek sighed. “Stiles, he knocked you out Kira. He slammed your head against the metal table and you went out like a light. It happened so fast. And then before I could react he must have did the same to me because I can’t recall much after that.”  
Everyone turned towards Scott who was still looking down. Alejandro walked up to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “It’s ok buddy. It’s us here… we’re pack. What happened?”  
Scott was trembling and he was absentmindedly rubbing the now healing wound in his stomach. He never looked up but he recounted the pieces of the story the other two were unable to. “Stiles… he knocked Kira and Derek out. He was so strong, so cold, so calculating. He fooled us into thinking that maybe he was… he was our Stiles again. I so desperately wanted him to be my Stiles again.”  
(Isaac felt a pang in his stomach at hearing “my Stiles” even though he knew Scott meant it platonically… he wanted to be Scott’s Isaac).  
“He… he… took the sword and he… he pushed it further through me. I could feel the blade twisting and the pain was unbearable. I looked into his eyes and I didn’t see Stiles anymore. I never thought I would see such evil. It wore Stiles face but it wasn’t his eyes. And he just sneered at me and mocked me. He was right I was so stupid. He said I could never trust a fox. And you know what’s even more pathetic!? It’s the second time he’s fucking stabbed me with a sword… the SECOND GODDAMN time!”  
The rest of the group wore a mixture of shock and confused faces. Alejandro was the only one that understood what Scott was talking about. “Last night… in the same room; when you and I were at our stalemate, he did the same thing. He pretended to be weak until he got both of us close enough and then he flung me against a wall and… oh Scott this isn’t your fault. This Nogitsune is so damn manipulative.”  
Scott was now shedding tears but shaking his head. “Two nights in a row Alejandro! Two NIGHTS in a ROW! I mean how dumb am I!? I wanted so bad to believe that Stiles was back that I allowed myself to be skewered two nights in a row. And he absorbed even more of my misery and pain and just laughed while doing so. I wish Allison was the wolf and I was the human… at least I would just have had to endure one stabbing.” His words came out bitter and hit the rest of the pack like bricks.  
Melissa McCall was at her feet and crossing towards Scott with a ferocious speed. She lifted his face before placing a mighty slap across his cheeks. Her eyes immediately widened and she covered her mouth with her hands. She had just struck her son. Scott didn’t even flinch.  
“Ohmygod! Oh my Scott… I am so sorry!! So sorry!! I …I… don’t ever say something like that again! You hear me! I will not have you even giving up like that and feeling sorry for yourself! You are an remarkable young man! We ALL love you in this room! I don’t ever want you to ever question that ever again!”  
The tension of the room was thick when they heard a small giggle from the couch. Everyone’s heads snapped towards Stiles as he sat grinning. “Oh all of this wonderful turmoil Scotty!! Oh how you sustain me! Frankly I don’t know how you are still even alive… I have never met a more heroically dense being in my entire centuries of existence. I applaud you though… Kanima venom. Impressive trick. When it wears off though Scotty, I am going to enjoy stabbing you a third time while you watch me tear everyone you love into tiny pieces and feed off of their pain!”  
Scott let out a growl and his eyes turned red as he tensed into a position that would indicate he was about to spring forward and rip the vocal chords out of his best friend’s throat. Derek’s eyes glowed blue as he shifted as well and held Scott in place to prevent this from happening. Dr. Deaton sensed that this could escalate into something they would not be able to handle so he began barking orders.  
“Isaac, you and Alejandro get Scott upstairs and away from Stiles now! Derek you and Melissa help me down here… we are going to exorcise this bastard! Kira call your mother and get her here now. I am going to need as much expertise as possible!”  
Everyone sprang into action. Isaac and Alejandro took Scott and physically dragged him upstairs while Melissa and the Doctor began organizing the herbs he brought. Derek looked cautiously at Stiles with sad eyes. It seemed the universe was doing everything in its power to prevent them from going on a proper date. Derek scoffed internally remembering all of the times he wanted to strangle Stiles and now he was sad that he couldn’t hold him. He hoped Deaton could come up with something that would not end up killing Stiles. He shook that thought away and looked towards his uncle. Peter just shrugged. He knew he was still in hot water for biting Alejandro and he knew that taking a few days off from torturing his nephew would go a long way towards not having his throat ripped out again. Upstairs in Scott’s room Scott was pacing around trying to calm down.  
“Scott, calm down man. You need to find your anchor.” Alejandro was worried because he knew the he and Isaac would be no match for a fully Alpha’d out Scott.  
“My anchor is dead!”  
Isaac winced at those words and looked saddened. He knew Allison was Scott’s anchor, but he felt that maybe he could one day be his new anchor. Alejandro picked up on Isaac’s sadness and shot his a sympathetic look. He seemed to be throwing a lot of sympathy around these past few days which was ironic as he was the one they all seemed to pity most of the time.  
“Scott, maybe you have to be your own anchor from now on.”  
Scott shot Alejandro a spiteful look as if it were the dumbest thing he had ever heard. Alejandro knew he was just angry and didn’t mean it.  
“Well you know what Scott. How about thinking about your most loyal Beta then, hmm? Isaac needs you to be strong Scott, to be the leader. You can’t be an effective leader if you let your anger win! Take it from the guy that’s angry way too much man. Let it go! Think of Isaac!”  
Isaac’s eyes were wide as if he could not believe Alejandro would dangle his name out there in the open like that. If Scott rejected that idea or made it seem ridiculous he would never recover from the embarrassment or heartbreak. To his surprise and relief when he looked at Scott again he had transformed back into the adorable teenager with the brown puppy dog eyes and smooth face. Did the thought of Isaac calm Scott down? Was he maybe Scott’s new anchor after all?? Though his face remained neutral everything inside of Isaac was soaring. 

Since Isaac asked Alejandro to be their moderator he was going to moderate the hell out of this situation until both Scott and Isaac knew 100% where they stood.  
Scott’s face grew softer as he looked towards Isaac. They were now in a more comfortable setting together and besides the inclusion of Alejandro it felt intimate and safe. Alejandro was on to something when he forced Scott to re-anchor himself to someone other than Allison and Isaac was the obvious choice. Isaac, tall, handsome, loyal, vulnerable, sarcastic, curly-haired, blue eyed, comfortable Isaac. Wait, handsome? Did Scott think Isaac was handsome? Of course he was, Scott was not blind. Was it ok for him to think that though? That morning was so nice, waking up with such a handsome person in his arms. Scott never thought of guys before, not in that way, well he may have thought about it once or twice before. Oh hell, Scott knew he was like Stiles. They both fell for who they fell for because of everything that made up the other person, not for the gender that they were. If Allison were a boy he would have fallen anyway because of everything Allison was. Now the same thing held true for Isaac. He liked everything about Isaac now that he was able to think about it. Allison took up all of his thoughts when she was alive and then Kira started to occupy his thinking. However now in the privacy of his room with two guys that would not judge him at all, he was able to think about everything that made Isaac, Isaac… and he liked it. He let a smile creep towards his lips. Alejandro saw this as a great opportunity to get the ball rolling.  
“Scott, take a seat here.” Alejandro led Scott towards his bed and forced him down. He then took Scott’s computer chair and placed it a few feet away from Scott, but facing him. “Isaac, could you please sit here?”  
Isaac knew what was happening but he gulped once and took the seat anyway. The two boys were now facing each other but they found it difficult to keep eye contact. They kept glancing at other objects in the room. Alejandro rolled his eyes.  
“Lord, this is going to be like pulling teeth. Ok I am going to be Dr. Phil and you two are going to be the guests on my show today, ok? As long as we keep everything honest and respectful and open then I won’t throw books at either one of you. Got it?”  
They both half-smiled and nodded.  
“Good. Ok I am not an expert on relationships but I do know what attraction looks like. I can practically smell it on both of you. You two like each other… and more than just friends. Can I at least get you both to nod in agreement to that?”  
Isaac and Scott locked eyes but neither one of them seemed to want to nod. Alejandro grabbed an encyclopedia and waved it in the air indicating that he was going to fling it if they did not start being good guests. Isaac finally nodded his head up and down never breaking eye contact with Scott but seeing the threatening encyclopedia in his peripheral. To Isaac’s great relief Scott also began to nod.  
“Ok, well this is a good start! We got a tough one out the way fellas! And I won’t have to throw this expensive encyclopedia at either one of you! See we are all coming out winners here!”  
Alejandro paced a little back and forth and began formulating questions. He was kidding about the Dr. Phil thing but it looked like he was going to have to dictate the flow of conversation. “Ok, well next question. When did you two discover that maybe there were feelings there that went beyond friendship?”  
Scott frowned slightly trying to decide when he it happened but Isaac was prepared to answer. “This morning was the clincher for me. When Scott and I had a moment.”  
“We had a moment?”  
“Yeah don’t you remember this morning? Don’t you think we had a moment?”  
“Oh yeah. So that was a moment then… this morning. I didn’t know we were having a moment that moment we woke up because it seemed like you didn’t want it to be a moment when we were having that said moment.” Scott seemed to be running around in circles in his head.  
Alejandro could not decide if this was annoying or the most adorable thing ever, but leaned towards the latter and he smiled. “Ok so this morning seemed to be an epiphany for you guys. I have already talked to Isaac, so Scott, how do you feel about Isaac admitting that he likes you?”  
Scott looked thoughtful before responding. “You know, I thought it would be weird. Not because it’s a guy that likes me, but because it is Isaac. I didn’t think someone like Isaac would like a guy like me.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean Scott? Why wouldn’t I like you?”  
“I don’t mean anything offensive but I thought you preferred blond girls… like Erica.”  
“How do you explain Allison?” Isaac inquired.  
Alejandro did not want them to veer towards Allison land but it seemed like the more they discussed her name the easier it got to begin letting her go.  
“You’re right Isaac. She was the furthest from a blond one could get. I dunno, I just didn’t think guys found me attractive.”  
Alejandro let out a snicker. “Scott, come on, look at you! You are a hottie mctottie man! I mean all of you guys are!! I have never seen a hotter group of people hanging out together since, actually ever. Even boy bands have that one ugly member ya know? But not this pack. You are all freaking hot!”  
Scott grinned crookedly. “You’re part of this pack too so I guess that makes you hot as well.”  
Alejandro began to blush. “Hey no, we are talking you and Isaac here.”  
Isaac looked at Scott and admired his dimples as he smiled towards Alejandro. Scott finally looked back towards Isaac and winked. Isaac smiled. “He’s right Scott, you are a sexy guy.”  
Scott could see Isaac blush after saying that. “Thanks Isaac. You are too.. very much so. So what now? We now know that we find each other sexy. What do we do with this information?”  
Isaac seemed to plaster the most devious grin on his face as if the Nogitsune itself possessed him momentarily. Alejandro rolled his eyes yet again. “Well you both are just now discovering this whole brand new side of yourselves and each other. I suggest going slow and remember communication is 99% of what makes a relationship work. You guys need to discuss boundaries and comfort levels. And I know we are hormonal teenagers with needs… so I suggest doing some research before diving into anything physical. Now I have some great movie’s downloaded on my laptop that show some of the basic mechanics of guy-on-guy…”  
Scott and Isaac both groaned.  
“Oh sorry guys, got carried away. But the offer still stands!” Alejandro was grinning from ear-to-ear. This was more fun than he expected. Heck, since he had two hot guys sitting in front of him he didn’t see why he couldn’t maybe ask for a preview since he was working so hard to get them to have an adult conversation. It beat paying $19.99 a month for some of his favorite websites. “Let’s try something. Isaac I want you to scoot the chair forward so that your knees touch Scott’s knees.”  
Isaac did as was instructed though he was at a loss as to why he needed to be that close.  
“Ok now this is going to be a litmus test to figure out how compatible you two really are. I want you two to kiss.”  
Isaac and Scott both whipped their heads to face Alejandro as they both said “WHAT!?”  
“How will you two really know if you really like each other in THAT way if you don’t do something sorta physical? I mean it… kiss!”  
Scott and Isaac turned to face each other again. They both gulped and were very visibly nervous. After a few seconds Isaac decided he really did want to kiss Scott so he scooted even closer and leaned so that both hands were on either side of Scott’s legs. Scott quickly looked at both of Isaac’s hands and decided he wanted them on him, so he took them and placed each one on his thighs. Isaac grasped the meaty and muscular legs of Scott’s through his jeans and gasped slightly. He looked up and saw the want on Scott’s face. Scott then took his hands and cupped Isaac’s masculine jaws and began leaning forward towards the blond. Isaac’s hands were now rubbing Scott’s thighs and Scott noted that his jeans were becoming excruciatingly tight in his crotch region. Isaac was in khaki pants and was tenting shamelessly. Alejandro was nodding, this was going to be good he could tell. He already knew what Scott was packing from their embarrassing moment at Deaton’s but he was pleasantly surprised to see that Isaac may be even more blessed than Scott. Of course he would be Alejandro thought, everybody in this pack was perfect physically so why wouldn’t that translate over to their endowments as well. Scott and Isaac’s faces were so close to the other that they could feel steam from their slightly opened mouths. Scott’s thumbs were gently massaging Isaac’s jaws as they held this intimate position for a few moments. Finally Isaac closed his eyes and Scott saw this as his opportunity to dive in. Their lips collided awkwardly at first but with a slight turn of Scott’s head their lips locked like Legos. Both their mouths parted and their tongues began their ballet dance. The sensation of Isaac’s strong tongue made Scott moan, which in turn led to Scott grasping Isaac’s face with a little more force and mashed their faces further together. Their kissing became more greedy and desperate as if they needed each other like the oxygen in the air. Scott’s hands wandered down Isaac’s neck and down his firm chest and stomach to finally settle on the two closest belt loops to his groin area. There Scott’s fingers played with the top band of Isaac’s boxer-briefs that was peeking above his pants line. As their make-out continued Alejandro was getting turned on but was doing everything in his power to not get aroused; which was a difficult task because Scott and Isaac making out and groping was HOT!!! Scott was really getting into this kiss and wanted Isaac to touch him more intimately. He found one of Isaac’s hands still rubbing his thighs and decided to guide it towards his now throbbing member. As soon as Isaac’s hand was where Scott wanted it, he forced Isaac to clamp down so he could feel all of Scott’s hardness. Isaac gasped as he felt Scott’s erection pulse and jump as he squeezed. He wanted to feel more of it, so he unbuttoned Scott’s jeans, but waited to make sure it was ok to do that. Scott moaned in approval and Isaac unzipped Scott’s jeans and ran his right hand down into the opening to feel Scott through the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. Scott mimicked Isaac’s actions and had already undid the taller boy’s khaki pants. Now both boys were rubbing the other as the kissing kept getting sloppier and more fervent. Isaac found the elastic of Scott’s underwear and slid his hand into them, grabbing the base of the thickness that was Scott’s impressive erection and squeezing. Scott almost let out a loud yelp but Isaac caught the sound with his mouth. Isaac began to give Scott a hand job that would make an outsider question whether it was really his first time with another guy. Scott wanted to make Isaac feel good too so he pulled the elastic of Isaac’s underwear up and out and down far enough that it rested behind Isaac’s engorged balls. Isaac’s erection was fully exposed and it was very impressive as it slapped against his stomach. Alejandro quickly turned his face and blushed. He wanted to give them some sort of privacy, but he caught enough of Isaac’s nakedness to remind himself to give his blond friend a high-five later for all of the blessings the good lord gave him. Scott grasped the large shaft of Isaac’s and began rubbing him as well. Scott’s lips separated enough to mouth “damn you’re a big boy Isaac” before diving into the kiss further. Isaac chuckled while kissing back and indicated with his heavy strokes that he liked what Scott was packing too. They were stroking and kissing and moaning and their hips were gyrating and you could tell that they were not going to hold out for much longer. Alejandro smelled the heavy musk of lust and he knew it was about to happen. He listened to their labored breathing and their sloppy kissing and their rhythmic motions. Yeah it wasn’t going to be long at all. A few minutes later he could hear the strangled breaths and moans of both teens as it seemed they came at the exact same time. He could hear their bodies shuddering with every rope that left their erections. He could hear the sounds of their kissing slowly recede back to a more normal pace and he finally heard the mutual snicker as they both took in what they just did with each other. They were so lost in their gazes that they forgot Alejandro was in the room, facing away from them.  
“Ahem. Well I take it that went really well, wouldn’t you agree guys?”  
Isaac and Scott looked at the back of their friend and laughed while blushing.  
“Sorry Alejandro I guess we may have gotten carried away?”  
“Are you asking me or telling me Scott,” Alejandro chuckled back. “Ok well you two smell like… well sex… so I suggest you grab a shower before we rejoin the others. And try to act normalish when we get down there, they still don’t know.” Alejandro was feigning annoyance but he was smiling. He closed his eyes quickly so he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of both boys padding their way to the bathroom that adjoined Scott’s room. When they were in the bathroom they closed the door and Alejandro opened his eyes at the sound of the shower being turned on. A few seconds later Isaac poked his head out, being obviously naked at this point, and looked at Alejandro with a very sincere smile. They shared a smile before Isaac mouthed a “THANK YOU” and disappeared back into the bathroom. Alejandro smiled some more looking at the closed door. He shook his head and turned towards the bed. He fixed Scott’s bed and plopped down and found a copy of World War Z that Scott was reading. “Oooh I always wanted to read that,” he said aloud to no one in particular and laid down and flipped to the first page. He read all the while hoping things were going ok downstairs with Stiles and while listening to the giggles coming from Scott’s bathroom.


	9. And I Know What You Did in San Francisco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack need some much needed R & R in San Francisco after the Nogitsune fiasco which also means some smexy times for our pack!

Of course everything was not going swimmingly downstairs, not that Alejandro was expecting it to. When the three boys reemerged from upstairs apparently a lot of things had gone down in the McCall residence living room. Scott was the first to see a very ashen looking Stiles sitting on the couch and when they locked eyes he was able to see the vulnerable honey brown orbs that he knew was his best friend. Scott approached warily and Stiles was visibly shaking as if the memories of what he did to Scott when he was possessed was physically paining him. Scott knelt down in front of his best friend, all the while never breaking eye contact, and when he determined that this was indeed his Stiles, he wrapped the skinnier boy into a bear hug. Stiles hugged back with all the strength he had in him, clinging onto Scott’s shirt and burying his face in Scott’s muscular shoulder. Alejandro smiled watching this amazing moment between best friends even though inside he was sad that he did not have anyone in his life that was remotely close in level to a Scott-Stiles friendship; not anymore anyway. The people closest to him in the life he was forced to leave behind seemed to resurface in his mind. He felt pangs of guilt and sadness as it danced with the nostalgia and memories. Alejandro felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see that Isaac had placed his arm around him and pulled him into a tight half-hug. Maybe this would be his version of the best friends he left back in Chicago. He had not thought of his old residence for a while now but being in this awkward and intimate moment amongst a group of people that were permanently attached to each other allowed his mind to wander back into his past. He shared warm eye contact with Isaac before glancing back at the hugging boys on the couch. After they separated Scott was still basking in the tingling feeling of having his brother back as he shifted his knee and noticed the tangle of gauze and bandages on the ground. He frowned at it and looked towards his mother, then Deaton, then Derek and finally towards Kira hoping for an explanation as to why there was yards and yards of it. The only one that spoke up was Peter Hale who was in the corner of the room standing near the open front door.  
“Your pale friend just cloned himself; yes there is now two of him running around.” Peter said this as he pointed towards the young brunette on the couch with the honey colored eyes. “Frankly I am still not so sure which one is sitting on that couch right now.”  
Scott frowned and shook his head. “No I know this is the real Stiles, right here, right now in front of me. I absolutely know it. But… two of him? How is that possible?”  
Dr. Deaton spoke up finally. “I think the Nogitsune is at full-strength and was able to manifest a physical representation of the body it had been possessing. I agree with Scott’s assessment however that this is the real Stiles in front of us.”  
Stiles let out a faint sigh as Peter rolled his eyes. “Well then the evil one is now loose and we’re all screwed.” Peter’s presence was starting to wear thin. “If it is powerful enough to physically create A WHOLE OTHER BEING then we are definitely no match!”  
Alejandro, while still sleep deprived, seemed to gain a weird burst of energy. Thinking of his hometown seemed to awaken something locked within his psyche. He was beginning to pace around and thoughts began to swirl around his head at a frenetic pace. The others noticed his weird change in demeanor as well. Isaac arched is eyebrow before asking.  
“Hey Alejandro man, you ok?”  
“Yeah, yeah! Totally Isaac! I just have all these ideas and thoughts swirling around (he said this as he pointed to his own head) about ways to catch the Nogitsune once and for all!”  
Scott looked over towards the Latino boy and said softly, “Alejandro man, I know you are excited to help us but you and Derek have not slept at all. I think we all need to take a breather and regroup.”  
“No, no, no, no we don’t have time for that. We were so close Scott! We need to end this! We need to find that bastard so we can get Lydia back! All of us are still in danger as long as the Nogitsune is out there!”  
Derek’s face was now in his patented scowl as he seemed uneasy by the sudden change in Alejandro’s energy. He walked over and placed a strong hand on Alejandro’s shoulder and gave him a tight squeeze. “Just at least take a nap and get some rest. I need to recharge myself and …” His voice trailed off as his gaze lingered on Stiles. Alejandro recognized this at once.  
“Oh... OHHHH! Of course, you’re right. There is resting and I… I know you all have some major catching up to do… definitely right Derek!” Alejandro was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. He still felt the pangs of jealousy but was comforted because it did not hurt as bad as it used to. “Uhm… I am just gonna head home …to err…… Ms. Morrell’s house I mean! Uhm call me or text me later with the plan.”  
Before anyone could protest Alejandro was sprinting out the front door. Everyone looked around and was still puzzled by the ball of energy that just bounded out the door.  
The plan that the group came up with eventually ended up working though not without another casualty. In the following days the void Stiles had unleashed the Oni on the sheriff’s station, the Beacon Hills Hospital and the high school. Countless lives were lost as the demonic samurais sliced and diced their way through the hospital in their successful attempt at inflicting pain on Scott’s mother, while several deputies fell prey as well during an Oni ambush; Deputy Parrish and Sheriff Stilinski were nursing supernatural wounds as well. The most brutal loss occurred at the high school as Scott, Stiles, Kira, and a freshly freed Lydia were being psychologically tortured by the Nogitsune inside while Derek and the twins were being manhandled by the Oni outside. Despite some last minute assistance from Isaac and Chris Argent, whom discovered that silver was like kryptonite to the Oni, Aiden was fatally struck down by an Oni sword, similar to Allison. In a climactic move, a “divine move,” Scott used his power of a True Alpha to inflict a fatal bite on the void Stiles. Though the bite was a result of desperation at the time, it was discovered later that the bite caused the inevitable transformation of the host body in which the Nogitsune inhabited thus defeating the malevolent spirit in the process. Dr. Deaton explained later that according to ancient texts that the only way to defeat a Nogitsune was to transform the parameters of its host and a bite from an Alpha certainly qualified as such.  
Nursing their collective wounds and finally able to mourn their losses properly, Scott’s pack attempted to regain a semblance of normalcy and pick up the pieces of their tattered group. Ethan was inconsolable but Danny was at his side every moment possible stroking, caressing, placing chaste kisses and holding his grief-stricken lover. On several occasions Lydia would also be wrapped up in their comforting as Aiden was something as close to a boyfriend as she would allow after her ordeal with Jackson. As the three of them grew closer so did the new budding romances of Derek and Stiles and Isaac and Scott. The four of them would go on double dates in the beginning as everything was new to them. They found comfort in knowing that they were all in it together navigating the uncharted waters of same-sex relationships. Kira also stuck around and was a constant in all their pack meetings and feigning nausea at the site of the newly formed couples. She found it rather adorable but she did not want to admit it. It was awkward at first between her, Scott and Isaac but she gave them her full blessings and the closeness that resulted made it seem like she had always been a part of their group. They had forgiven her for her mother’s involvement in being the reason the Nogitsune and Oni existed in the first place though she still felt guilty deep down. She would never show it though. She loved this new closeness. It seemed like everything was going back to as normal as Beacon Hills could with the glaring exception of Alejandro’s sudden and total disappearance from all aspects of the pack’s lives.  
The last day any of them saw him was the day in which he seemed manic from lack of sleep. He stated he was going to go to Ms. Morrell’s house, where he resided, to sleep and join them in the plan to rescue Lydia and defeat the Nogitsune. After hundreds of unanswered texts and phone calls several of the pack went to visit Ms. Morrell to see why he had not responded. She informed them that he never showed back up. Fearing the worst the pack decided to split up and find him before launching their final attack on the Nogitsune but when not even a faint trace of a scent of Alejandro turned up, they decided that they had to carry through without their newest friend. Now that the Nogitsune threat was eliminated, the pack’s thoughts drifted back to the whereabouts of Alejandro. Hours and days turned into weeks and months. They still had to deal with school and jobs and for most of the pack, lacrosse practice. Apparently this lacrosse season brought with it a new crop of freshman upstarts with dreams of grandeur and no qualms in taking over the captaincy from Scott. All illusions of just making the team due to past glories were quickly dashed when the new guard led by an unnaturally gifted teenager named Liam began handing them their asses during the first practice. Despite all this Alejandro was still in the back of all their minds.  
TWO MONTHS LATER….  
After a grueling week of school and practice it was finally Friday and the pack decided they wanted to cut loose. They planned a trip to San Francisco where the boys could be boys and the girls could enjoy some retail therapy. Though amongst themselves they were out and in the open, they all decided to not demonstrate their new relationships to their parents and extended friends just yet until they were more firmly in place. It turned out that Derek and Stiles were very firm in their commitment to each other as it seemed they were fornicating three times a day, every single day for months, much to the collective groans of the rest of the pack that all at one point or the other have walked in on them or heard the unruly and filthy language that Stiles seemed to have no trouble conveying in coital bliss. “Don’t be jealous that my man can throw it down,” he would say from time to time when someone would raise the issue of him and Derek having no shame when it came to love making. Scott and Isaac were a little more reserved in their relations and moved at a more glacial pace. They still had not gone “all the way” yet and they seemed to be stuck on the heavy petting and oral sex stage of their courtship. Whenever it seemed like they were going to advance to the next step, one or the other would pull back on the reins. Still, their relationship was working. When the idea of a trip to San Francisco came up they all immediately agreed to it, well almost all of them. Of course everyone was excited about going to the gay clubs, with the exception of Derek who was never into clubs, or parties, or get togethers that weren’t pack meetings… or having any type of fun for that matter. Stiles was pulling him out of his shell little by little so that is how Derek became part of this trip. They decided to car pool in two separate vehicles with Lydia driving Kira, Ethan and Danny while Stiles drove Derek, Isaac and Scott. Since Stiles had little to no luggage room in his jeep everyone’s belongings were piled into Lydia’s trunk and on top of her vehicle in one of those hideous Pod things that she was not very happy to pollute the elegance of her sleek vehicle. A few hours later the two cars pulled into a pretty upscale hotel with the fancy semi-circle driveway that had immaculately dressed valet attendants eager to help with luggage and park the guest’s vehicles. Stiles noticed his valet gave his beat-up jeep a somewhat repulsed glare to which Stiles snapped his fingers to gain the offended party’s attention. “There a problem here buddy? It has four wheels, a steering wheel and it works so how about you stop staring at my baby girl with such judgmental eyes and do your job.” The rest of the group snickered and the valet attendant (named Blaine) scoffed and took the keys from Stiles before proceeding to drive the jeep off towards the parking garage. The second attendant gave the group an apologetic face before driving off with Lydia’s car. Their luggage was loaded onto a flatbed cart by a hotel bellhop dressed in a full three0piece suit and the group moved into the hotel lobby to get their room keys.  
The lobby was breathtaking with marble floors and marble walls and high vaulted ceilings with archways leading to various elevators and escalators, gift shops, the hotel gym, interior pool and several ballrooms. In the middle of the lobby was a huge koi pond with a three story high waterfall and encircled by marble bench/steps where people could lounge on and enjoy the ambiance. “See guys, this is why you let me plan things because wow I certainly have outdone myself!” Lydia was beaming as if she built the entire lobby herself but she was correct. She had great taste in lodgings and was an excellent vacation planner. “You did good Lyds. Now let’s get our room keys because I want to get the fun started!” Scott exclaimed leading the group towards the reception desk to get their keys. Stiles turned slightly towards Derek and said in a hushed tone “and I want to christen our room in style,” wiggling his eyebrows seductively and offering Derek a mischievous grin. Derek’s cheeks flushed red in an obvious blush while the three werewolves in the group groaned as Stiles had seemingly forgotten about their super hearing. “What?” a thoroughly confused Danny, Lydia and Kira asked in unison. Ethan rolled his eyes and said “nothing” before they made it to the desk. The guys had gotten an amazing suite on the 18th floor overlooking downtown San Francisco. It was the type of suite that opened into a massive common area equipped with a humongous living room, fully functioning kitchen and with floor to ceiling glass windows that had a crazy view. There were three sets of doors on opposite sides of the common area in a triangular pattern which were the bedrooms and the guys all exhaled. Even though most of them had super hearing, it was nice to have separation from the obvious extracurricular activities that were going to occur when they retired to their respective rooms. Kira and Lydia had a smaller suite at the end of the hall which had a similar set-up but only two bedrooms but they still marveled at the overall classiness of their weekend dwelling. The group decided that they were going to have a couple hours to unwind and unpack and relax in their suites before they hit up the city and see what kind of debauchery they could get into that evening.  
DEREK AND STILES ROOM  
Derek carried his and Stiles’ luggage into their bedroom and placed them on the floor while Stiles bounded into the bathroom that adjoined their suite. “WHOA look at the size of this bathroom Der! There’s a huge tub in the middle and you are so gonna rape me in that!” Derek just smiled at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm. The last few months with Stiles had been equal parts astonishing and terrifying. He loved that they could be so open with each other and the mind-blowing sex was also a very good perk but he also had to learn to let his walls down, which wasn’t easy. Stiles demanded complete honesty and openness and constant conversation so they would always be on the same page. Stiles slowly pulled Derek out of his grumpy loner shell and transformed him into a more easy-going jovial individual that people did not mind having around. Derek still had his grumpy days but Stiles was able to infect him with his endearing brand of cheerfulness and frenetic energy that he always quickly turned his frowns upside down. Derek walked up behind his lover and wrapped his strong arms around the smaller boy’s waist and rested his scruffy chin on the top of Stiles’ head. “Yeah I can think of some things I could do to you in this bathroom, and in that bedroom, and on the floor and I saw a very sturdy looking desk by the window…” Stiles was blushing and he quickly turned in Derek’s embrace and quirked his head up so that he could pull the taller man into a deep and meaningful kiss. As their lips mashed together and their tongues began their game of dominance both Derek and Stiles began to explore the other’s body with their hands. As they continued to make-out their hips began to grind into each other and both of their arousals became evident as blood began to flow into their groins. As Derek’s teeth gently took hold of Stiles bottom lip the skinnier boy mumbled “bed” breathlessly steering them both back to the bedroom without breaking contact. Stiles was able to push Derek onto the bed and smirked as Derek propped himself up by both elbows and spread his meaty legs. “I am so gonna give you the best blowjob ever!” Stiles dove onto his knees and began to palm Derek’s prominent erection through his tight jeans. Derek’s head tilted backwards as he stared at the ceiling and sighed, knowing full well the amazing oral skills he was about to enjoy. Stiles unbuckled Derek’s belt unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the zipper. He then whined for Derek to lift his ass up so he could yank the jeans off and Derek obliged with a chuckle. Stiles whipped the tight fitting jeans off of Derek, somehow managing to pull Derek’s boots off with them. Derek’s very hard dick was making his boxer briefs tent like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Stiles licked his lips and eyeballed it greedily. Derek was hung like a horse with a very thick and very long endowment that Stiles never grew tired of looking at, licking and sucking. Derek took that moment to lift his Henley shirt over his head to expose his taut stomach muscles and manly chest. Stiles would never grow tired of looking at the perfect ten known as his boyfriend completely naked. “Your clothes. Off. Now!” Derek growled and Stiles scrambled to his feet and removed his clothes as quickly as he could which resulted in a very awkward looking dance in which he almost lost his balance three times. When he finally released himself of his clothing Derek was able to admire the toned, lean muscle that Stiles possessed on his almost hairless body. He had defined abdominal muscles and a swimmer’s build chest and shoulders. He had that amazing v-muscle on his lower abdomen (though nowhere as godly as Derek’s) and his legs were rather defined, a testament to all those lacrosse games and practices. What Derek really loved however were the random freckles that dotted his lover’s pale flesh like points of interest on a roadmap. Derek studied each and every freckle in their months of unabashed sexual escapades but he loved looking at them like it was the first time all over again. Derek gave Stiles a very seductive grin and eyebrow raise which quickly prompted the honey-eyed brunette to dive back down onto Derek’s still very aroused member. He tossed Derek’s boxer-briefs aside causing Derek’s massive erection to slap down on his firm stomach. Stiles grabbed hold of it with both hands and quickly started pumping at it like he was churning butter. Derek loved how Stiles could wrap both fists around his dick and still have some length leftover for his mouth to suck on and down, to which Stiles was presently doing. His cheeks hollowed with every suck and his tongue swirled around the throbbing head of Derek’s cock while his fists twisted and squeezed and moved up and down like a piston. How Stiles got so good at giving head was a mystery to Derek but he did not want to think of Stiles having practiced on anyone else before him. Stiles removed one fist so he could stroke his own erection which was quite impressive as well. It was not as thick as Derek’s but it rivaled him in length and it curved upward towards the most perfectly shaped head. It was a very beautiful cock that Derek had no issues going down on every time they had sex. For the moment however, he was just enjoying the wet warmth of Stiles mouth deep throating him without any hint of a gag reflex. “Shit Stiles, if you keep that up I won’t last too much longer!” Stiles looked up and locked eyes with Derek’s hazel eyes and smirked with the massive dick still in his mouth. He sucked down one more agonizing time before letting the slicked up appendage fall out of his mouth with a loud pop and a squish as it smacked Derek’s stomach again. “If you don’t get inside me right now I’ll stuff wolfs bane down your sexy throat.” Stiles smiled with his empty threat and Derek raised himself to a sitting position before hooking his arms underneath the lighter boy’s armpits and lifting him onto his lap with not so surprising ease. Derek’s erection rested lengthwise between Stiles bubbled ass and he let out a few moans as Stiles began to grind back and forth to tease the rock hard dick a little more. Derek lifted up off the bed with Stiles still straddling him and quickly shifted and turned so he could gently place Stiles on his back on the edge of the bed with his legs in the air. Derek lowered himself so he could begin opening up his lover’s ass for the inevitable pounding it was about to receive. He swirled his tongue around Stiles inner thighs and danced around his opening, causing a whimper. Derek took that as his cue to dive his tongue into the opening and he began to tongue bang Stiles with ferocity. Stiles was in heaven at this point and seeing stars and dammit he swore he saw a few angels bouncing around fluffy clouds too. When Derek had thoroughly slicked up Stiles hole he raised himself to a standing position and licked his hands so he could lube himself up. Still holding Stiles legs in the air with one hand, he guided his hardened pipe towards Stiles sensitive opening and slowly but assuredly pushed his way in. Stiles let out the strangled gasp as he felt completely filled up immediately. “Ughhhhhh fffff-ffffuucckkkk Der…. Uhh fucckkk…. You’re so fucking biggg… God you are so fuckkking big.. I fuckk.. I love ittt… oohh Godd fucck me!” Derek loved when Stiles cursed like a sailor because of the pleasure he was providing so he placed the skinnier boy’s legs on his shoulders, grabbed hold of his delicious thighs and began pounding in and out with unrelenting speed and force. He thrust in and up and knew he was hitting the sweet spot with every single lunge as he went balls deep into Stiles over and over and over. The sound of bodies humping and Derek’s balls slapping Stiles ass could probably be heard from the ground floor but they did not care. They were in lust and everyone else would just have to deal. Normally they would switch into a dozen different positions before Derek deposited multiple loads and Stiles was too sore to keep going, but on this occasion Derek was content with pounding him in this position until he came. He realized early on that Stiles was a filthy dick-pig when they were having sex and loved being tossed around and bent into all kinds of wonderful positions, letting Derek treat him like his own personal man slut. Sex with Derek was like having sex with Zeus himself according to Stiles, Derek was the God of Fucking and he loved that he could squeeze out multiple orgasms from his sex god on the daily. He knew however that Derek was going to pound him into submission in this one position until he came because after all they were on vacation and had social plans. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and began biting his own forearm because damn did this fucking feel amazing and Derek was attacking his ass like it owed him a shit ton of money. “You like getting pounded baby? Huh? You like this big dick don’t you!? You love being my slut, and me fucking you like a slut!” Stiles loved Derek’s dirty talk. After removing his forearm from his mouth he let out a few moans before responding. “Yeahhhh… fuuucckkk I loveee that BIG COCK! I could have that cock inside of me all fucking dayyy… you’d like that wouldn’t you daddy! To fffuck me alllll day and all night! Ohh goooodd.. give me that dick papi!” Derek cringed momentarily but did not ease his pace. He knew “papi” was something Alejandro would have instilled into Stiles’ vocabulary and he was the last individual that he wanted to think about at the moment. Derek knew that there was always going to be a lingering crush for Stiles but during their last moments he grew to like Alejandro. After all, Alejandro was the only reason he was still alive to enjoy pounding his sexy Stiles every single day. He quickly shook the thought of the pack’s missing friend away and increased his unmerciful rhythm and both their bodies were now completely gleaming in sweat. After ten more minutes of marathon jackhammering Derek could feel his balls tighten as his orgasm began to build deep inside of him. “I’m getting close baby, you want me to blow this load inside of you!?” Stiles licked his lips and smiled, “ohh yeaa give me that nut Der!” Stiles chuckled lightly at his cheesy porno talk but still he knew he hadn’t pulled out the corniest lines yet and everyone best believe he had a rolodex of corny porno lines stored in his brain from the countless hours of porn he watched during his “loser phase” as he called it (more accurately known as his Virginity Days). Derek heaved a few more times and began spilling his warm release deep inside of Stiles and this caused Stiles to climax as well hands-free shooting warm white ribbons all over his stomach, chest and even his own face. Derek pumped in and out a few more times, spreading his cum all around Stiles insides before collapsing sweaty and breathless onto his boyfriend. “Hehe, now you got my jizz all over you too Derek.” Derek chuckled softly and raised his sweaty head up to become face to face with Stiles. “Nothing I haven’t swallowed before,” he replied which caused Stiles to blush profusely. He still recalled that first time Derek blew him until he came fully into the older man’s mouth and he swallowed every single drop and then some. Stiles never thought manly Derek would do something so “gay” but he loved it and it still made him flush every time. After a few moments of post-sex cuddling Stiles suggested they try out the awesome glass-encased stand up shower stall in the bathroom that had over 100 jets and nozzles and great water pressure. If they decided to take an extra-long shower getting dirtier while they were getting cleaner then it was no one else’s business but their own.  
MEANWHILE IN SCOTT AND ISAAC’S ROOM  
“They are going at it like damn construction workers in some X-Tube video,” Isaac groaned as he and Scott were unfortunately able to hear the sexscapades with their enhanced hearing. Scott smiled slightly with his adorable crooked smile and looked at Isaac with his warm brown eyes. “We could… I dunno… maybe we could.. make some noise of our own?” Isaac shot Scott an annoyed face like that was a horrible suggestion, which made Scott sigh in defeat. Isaac softened his gaze as soon as he saw the negative impact it had on his….boyfriend? They had not really defined what they were yet despite all the double dates with Stiles and Derek and of course the fooling around they did behind closed doors at the McCall house. They never really used the word boyfriend yet and Isaac did not want to admit that the most comfortable he had been with Scott was the very first time when Alejandro had been officiating. That was the problem he knew all along. He missed his friend and knew besides Kira and Ethan, that he was the other member of the pack Alejandro trusted the most and felt bad that they were all moving on with their lives, and school lives and love lives without Alejandro being a part of it. It seemed like this was the constant mental block that prevented him from giving himself completely to Scott and he knew that the Alpha would only have but so much patience for it before he threw down an ultimatum or even took it from him; Isaac cringed at the thought of Scott forcing him into anything that he was not prepared for. “Isaac, hey, are you still there? You are zoning out man.” Isaac snapped back to reality with an apologetic look which really made his blue eyes more prominent and melted Scott yet again as they always did whenever even a hint of anger was rising up to the Alpha’s surface. Scott immediately knew what Isaac was mulling about. “We are gonna find him Issy. It won’t be like Boyd and Erica. We won’t give up, I won’t give up.” Isaac nodded and he felt his eyes get watery. He could never understand why Scott was so kind and understanding. He felt he did not deserve the Alpha and that one day someone would come along and take Scott from him and treat him like he should have been treated. Scott on the other hand knew that Isaac had abandonment issues and along with the aforementioned incident with Boyd and Erica he also had to deal with the abuse and loss of his father along with the losses of his older brother and mother to circumstances that seemed too unfair for one teenager to have to suffer through in one lifetime. Isaac was damaged and Scott secretly worried that he would never be whole again but he was determined to be the one to put him together and be there for him. He also knew that Alejandro was someone that Isaac needed to heal because he was equally as broken and they could rely on each other in a way only two broken people could understand. Scott needed to find his missing pack member and bring him back home before his relationship with Isaac suffered more. Still he was sexually frustrated and wanted to have an enjoyable weekend where he and Isaac could take it to the next level and be the young adults they should have been. He wanted to explore all the facets of their new sexuality together and just be young hormonal and horny teenagers. He felt like it was pulling teeth with Isaac where it seemed so easy with Allison. And he was not conceited but he knew he and Isaac were considered to be sexy guys, in fact their whole pack was pretty much a walking group of sexiness so he didn’t see what the hold-up was. Sex should have been natural and second nature to two healthy supernatural boys. Hell Stiles was just human but he had a supernatural sex drive that Scott wished he could bottle up and inject into Isaac. It was as if Isaac could read Scott’s mind and he slowly crossed the room and pulled Scott into a warm embrace. He plopped his chin onto the shorter teen’s head and sighed. “I know I have been kind of a prude Scott. And I am really sorry, I don’t mean to be. I really want to go all the way with you and I know it’ll happen… I swear it’ll happen. I just need some more time, please.” He said the last part so softly that only werewolf hearing could pick it up. Scott had wrapped his strong and muscular arms around Isaac and was tracing circles onto the taller boy’s back. He sighed and replied. “I know Isaac, I know. How about we do some pg-13 clothes on stuff?” Isaac chuckled and released the hug so he could stare into Scott’s beautiful eyes. “Come here,” he muttered as he placed one hand behind Scott’s neck and pulled him into a sensual kiss. Scott kept his hand on Isaac’s hips but pressed his face forward to deepen the kiss, having to stand on his toes to reach Isaac’s mouth. Isaac and Scott both moaned at the intimacy and Isaac slowly guided Scott backwards towards their bed. They both collapsed onto it with Isaac still on top of Scott and their make-out session was in full swing with both boys dry humping and caressing each other’s bodies. Scott’s hard body beneath him and the friction of their bodies was causing Isaac to become fully engorged and he was straining against the tightness of his jeans. His erection was colliding with Scott’s which caused each teen to grind with even more force. Scott began to unbutton his pants which was a struggle with Isaac on top of him. Isaac seemed to sense Scott growing frustrated and eased his lower half to the side of Scott, never breaking the kiss, but enough so that they could both be free of their jeans. After they both kicked off their pants they finally eased off each other’s lips enough to admire the other’s hardness. Isaac was wearing white boxer briefs and Scott was wearing black and they had identical tents. Both boys smiled knowing they were both equally endowed as they pulled off their respective underwear to unleash impressive rods. “God you are so sexy Isaac!” Scott breathlessly moaned his compliment to a grinning Isaac. “Not so bad yourself Scotty.” In one quick motion Scott reversed their positions with him now lying on top of Isaac. He kissed the blond passionately before coming back up for air and wagging his seductive dark eyebrows. “Ise… I was thinking.. you ever… 69ed before?” Isaac smiled and blushed and shook his head no which prompted Scott to raise his body up and reposition it so that his head was now between Isaac’s legs nibbling away at his inner thighs and licking his balls which made Isaac moan with pleasure. This new position also had Isaac’s face between Scott’s knees and his incredible thick erection dangling like a cucumber on a vine. Isaac grabbed Scott’s ass, which was in the air, and pushed his hips down so that he could suck on Scott’s cock. Both boys sucked with such intensity as if the other’s penis was an oxygen dispenser in an atmosphere devoid of it causing each of them to begin shuddering as their bodies trembled. They were both so throat deep in erections that they did not even warn the other as their bodies tensed up with the building orgasm and they practically shot into each other’s mouths with the force of a cannon. After spilling their releases they collapsed down onto the bed breathless. Scott wiggled his way right side up again to lie down next to Isaac and they faced each other and smiled. “We definitely need to do that again,” Scott stated smiling. Isaac smiled back and nodded. “Ok shower time,” Isaac finally said causing Scott to groan. “Aww why can’t we relax a little longer?”  
ETHAN AND DANNY  
Ethan and Danny emerged from their shower having already banged each other against the ceramic tiled walls a few times standing up under the forceful spray of water that the hundreds of jets afforded them in their luxury suite. Danny loved being at that age where they were able to climax and recover in no time at all and he and Ethan were definitely at their sexual peaks. “Man Ethan my legs feel like rubber now! You really wanted this ass huh?” Ethan grinned at his boyfriend and nodded. “You must have been hungry for my ass too because I seem to have these red hand prints from a certain somebody.” Ethan was arching his back and craning his head to check out his own ass, which Danny loved for its ample bubble shape and firmness. “Haha hey you knew I was versatile from the beginning buddy so no complaining!” Ethan grinned: “who said I was complaining?” Danny and Ethan both snickered as they rifled through their still not unpacked suitcases looking for underwear. They had the luxury of being the “experienced gay couple” of the pack as both had been gay their entire lives and thus when it came to doling out the gay advice they were the default experts and had to answer many a questions from their other pack mates whom were still new to the game. They both had lost count of the endless number of embarrassing sex questions that constantly came up especially from Stiles and Scott. Isaac was more reserved and Derek, well Derek was sex on two feet and seemed to know how to throw it down instinctually. They did not mind however as it made them feel relevant and needed and Ethan especially had yearned for that sense of belonging since his brother Aiden was killed by the Oni and his “adopted” brother Alejandro went missing. If Danny had not been there he would have probably drowned in a lonely ocean of self-despair. They both began unpacking and picked out their outfits for the night and both approved of the others’ choice as they picked out shirts that hugged every muscle in their upper body and ripple of their abs as Danny picked a white Armani button-up shirt with the top three buttons undone of course and skin tight Armani jeans while Ethan decided on a black form hugging Kenneth Cole Reaction button up (curiously all the way buttoned) and a pair of Dolce & Gabbana Ripped jeans that he knew were a way to ridiculously priced birthday present that Alejandro had gotten him his last birthday. He stared at himself in the mirror and looked down at his pants and drifted to that day in his mind, recounting the matching looks of shock as he and his brother Aiden opened their presents from their de facto brother Alejandro. “Dude, how much money did you drop on this!?” Aiden had yelled when he saw the brand of jeans they both got (he received a pair of Gucci Stonewashed jeans). Alejandro had just shrugged and mumbled how he horded all of his extra tips from the diner to save up to buy presents for “the best pair of big brothers in the whole wide world!” Ethan was snapped back to the present as Danny walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s waist and rested his head on Ethan’s shoulder, looking into the mirror as well. Danny stared at his boyfriend thoughtfully. “You miss them don’t you?” Ethan scrunched his eyes to try to squeeze the tears back before they fell and he instinctively grabbed Danny’s forearms and forced them to squeeze him tighter. “Yeah, every minute Danny. I honestly feel like I’ll never be whole again. Losing Aiden was like losing… it was like losing half of me. It was like the Oni ripped my entire being in two. Holding him as he gasped for his last breath, my twin brother dying in my arms and being absolutely powerless to fix it. He looked at me before he died and whispered in my ear to promise him to not be sad and mourn him; to carry on with my life and make the right decisions and to take care of Alejandro because now we would be all that we had. Now he’s missing and I am feeling pathetic because I am letting Aiden down. There are days when I wish it was me gasping for life, but then I would think of the pain of never seeing you again and that’s just as excruciating.” Danny kissed the shoulder he was nestled on and held Ethan even tighter. “Ethan, Aiden was not your fault and Alejandro is not your fault either. You can’t carry this burden around because the true victim here is you. And I love you and I’ll be damned if you ever begin to blame yourself for any of this. As for Alejandro, we will find him.” Ethan tried to smile but it did not reach his eyes. “I know we will Danny and even though he is not of my blood, Aiden and I made a bond with him that is just as strong. He doesn’t know it, but we’ve kept an eye out for him since he was five and we were eight, back in the Southside of Chicago.” Danny’s eyebrows quirked up realizing he never knew this part of his boyfriend’s history but he kept quiet, wanting him to finish his story while he was still in the sharing mood. “Aiden and I, we were born werewolves and so was his mom, Kali. She was the neighborhood badass and held her own because believe me we lived in a rough area. The thugs that tried to mess with her had no idea she was kicking their ass because she was a werewolf but hey, you take any advantage you can get to survive. We were not in the same pack, but she knew what we were and we knew about her as well. We also knew that the little boy that was her son was different from us, a werewolf in limbo, dormant as he was half human. We don’t even know who his dad was, he seemed to not be in the picture by that point. People always think of Kali as this heartless and cold woman, but she did everything to protect her son and to shield him from this supernatural life for as long as possible. She wanted him to have his youth but she was a Beta then and could only protect him but so much always being on call from whomever was her Alpha at the time. That’s how Aiden and I came in. We sensed the gentleness and innocence in Alejandro back then and we wanted to make sure that nothing robbed him of that. Being born werewolves like us, innocence is something that is lost immediately because of all the brutality our kind experience both invited and uninvited. We kept a watchful eye on him, keeping a safe distance so not to alarm his mom, who would have ripped us to shreds if she thought us a threat to her puppy. When Deucalion came along and started to assemble his pack of Alphas, he took Kali under his wing and taught her the way to become an Alpha herself. So as she began to assassinate her entire pack in a desperate attempt to become so powerful that no one would be able to threaten her or her son. She was forced to leave him home alone a lot to take care of business. Can you imagine a five year old trying to fend for himself in a shitty neighborhood where murders and crimes seemed a daily thing? Aiden and I could hear him crying himself to sleep at night in the little house they had. For weeks my brother and I hovered around the house to make sure no harm came his way. Kali’s pack had figured out she was systematically taking them down and decided they were going to show her a lesson one night she was off doing God knows what.” Ethan’s face hardened and his eyes glossed over as he continued. “There were two of them about to break into the house and murder Alejandro. Although they were older, my brother and I were always holding our own even at 8 years old. We ambushed them as they broke down the back door with speed and vicious accuracy. We were able to subdue one of them before the other knew what was happening. The second wolf, I think he was the second in command and a much stronger and craftier adversary. He was able to repel all our attacks and was even gaining the upper hand. I could hear Alejandro crying from somewhere in his room, buried beneath blankets or something, but no doubt hearing the commotion. Luckily, Kali and Deucalion appeared out of nowhere and after what seemed like seconds there were two dead werewolves with their throats slashed. They could have killed us too, being from a rival pack and in her territory, but she just thanked us for saving her child. Deucalion was impressed with our courage and offered to make us stronger, just like he was doing for Kali. After we cleaned up the mess, Deucalion took us somewhere where he could explain how this worked; how to become Alphas. A few months later, Kali, Aiden and I were Alphas, having had to kill our entire packs to do it. Kali did it to be a better protector for her son; my brother and I did it because we wanted power. We were so selfish back then, our one only act of decency was protecting Alejandro behind his back so he would remain blissfully unaware. I honestly don’t know how we were able to hide all of this from him back then but we did. He never asked about the “burglars” that tried to “rob” his house that one night. In fact, in order to respect Kali’s wishes to keep our lives separate from his, we never made our existence known to him really. When we were traveling around collecting other werewolves we deemed worthy to join our Alpha pack, we made sure to never let him catch wind of anything supernatural. His mom would always be on “business trips” for “job” that she would never explain and that would force them to move around a lot. We would always seem to come back to Southside however, Kali wanting that familiarity. He even managed to make some friends, who were sort of a bad influence on him.” Ethan chuckled and snorted after that statement with obvious recollections of past juvenile delinquency committed by Alejandro. “It crushed him having to leave behind his only friends to move to Beacon Hills so our pack could deal with the troubling situations that I am sure you are aware of since you have had to live through them. The draw of the existence of a True Alpha was too strong for Deucalion to ignore. Kali was not happy uprooting him for the umpteenth time but Deucalion’s word was law. So that’s how we came to be here now and despite never officially meeting him until this year, we’ve always been a constant in Alejandro’s life, he was just never allowed to know it, but as soon as we were able to be a part of his life, we made sure to establish that strong bond he never knew we already had.”  
Danny exhaled loudly. “Wow Ethan that was really heavy man. I had no idea. Who were these friends that he had to leave behind? You think that maybe they know where he is?” Ethan never thought of that possibility. Did Alejandro run back to their old neighborhood, to that one place of familiarity? “Um… I can’t remember them all, but his closest friends were some guy named Ian and another guy named… Mickey I think.” Danny contemplated a moment before saying, “Mickey and Ian hmmm? Might have to look them up if we don’t find Alejandro soon.” Danny was unaware that the other werewolves in the suite had heard every word of Ethan’s story as well and Isaac committed to memory every detail. He looked over to Scott who was frowning. Derek was frowning himself in the room he shared with Stiles who was talking and flailing his arms around trying to figure out why his lover was zoned out. “Derek, what the hell? Earth to Derek!” Derek shook his head . “Sorry. Let’s finish getting ready.” Stiles looked at Derek warily but did not want to cause any scenes on their relaxing vacation. “Ok, but you are nasty grinding on me on the dance floor tonight buddy.” Derek flashed a smile: “don’t threaten me with a good time.”  
An hour and a half later the entire group was having a pretty decent time at the club. It was crowded and the music was blaring. Danny, Lydia, and Stiles were giggling and dancing, already feeling the shots they downed thanks to their fake ID’s. Kira was dancing along too but she chose to be the sober having fun laughing at her sloppy friends. Unfortunately, no matter how many drinks the werewolves consumed they seemed to be immune to getting drunk. Werewolves were able to get drunk, it just took way more than what they were drinking to accomplish it. It seemed they all had the knowing glances of having heard Ethan’s story and were in various stages of contemplation. They faked smiles and even wiggled around a little when the drunks forced them to dance. The DJ announced it was the portion of the night where Mistress Malia and her male dancers performed on an elevated platform that was rising from the middle of the main dance floor. The entire pack was transfixed by this awesome high-tech display. Smoke billowed out from around the stage as the crowds began to cheer and sway and dance in place surrounding the stage as the thumps and beats of a song began. Suddenly a golden cage was being lowered from the ceiling of the club as the club goers began frantically clapping and whooping it up. The cage thudded softly down onto the stage as the three figures inside were obscured by the ever thickening smoke. Finally the cage doors opened and Mistress Malia moved seductively forward out of the cage entrance clad in nothing but a black leather bikini. She grabbed the cage bar, hugging it with her entire body like it was a stripper pole, and she licked it up and down smiling at the audience and giving them a sexualized stare. The song “Zombie” by Natalia Kills has started by this point and Malia’s two cage mates were being led out by chains hooked to collars around their necks. Malia held the other end of the chains and it looked reminiscent of Michonne walking her zombie pets on “The Walking Dead.” One of the guys being led out was an attractive tan man with blond hair and blue eyes with a swimmer’s body. The crowd appreciated his beauty right away. The only ones that did not appreciate his form was Scott’s entire pack because all they could focus on was the brooding and smoldering gray eyes of the other man chained up. He looked paler than they remembered but not unhealthy; and it did not take them long to figure out it was how someone tweaking out on some sort of hallucinogenic would look. They all whipped their heads around to look at each other, stunned and not expecting to ever see their pack mate and friend like this. He was writhing around to the music, rolling his hips along with the blond man as their bodies glistened with sweat. They both only wore stripper underwear (banana hammocks) that left not much to the imagination as they humped the air lewdly. In any other situation it would have turned on even the most non-sexual people but Scott’s pack were just frozen with confusion. Isaac finally spoke up: “what the hell Alejandro, what the hell?” He muttered mostly to himself but they all seemed to hear it, even the humans who had miraculously seemed to sober up. They were all collectively thinking the same thing: what the hell?

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think so far? Please leave feedback (positive/constructive) and I will attempt to take in your advice to help improve my writing. This is my first attempt at writing anything so I would really appreciate the advice and words of encouragement. Take care!


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